Looking For Love
by jago-ji
Summary: Ranger's life is about to change. He decides to take a chance on love, but it doesn't go the way he thinks. It will have some Babes shaking in their boots, and definitely shaking their finger at the writer. She asks that you hang in there till the end. Ranger HEA. Inspired by the song "Lookin' for love in all the wrong places." This story is co-written with the fabulous sonomom.
1. Chapter 1

**Lookin' for Love**

AN: This story has been co-written with _sonomom_, who brought a level of sophistication and humor to the writing. I was having motivational problems completing some of the scenes with Ranger, and _sonomom_ was able to write those scenes in such a way that jarred me loose from my writing block. We hope you enjoy this joint effort.

**Chapter One**

Trusting that the narrow game trail was leading him in the right direction, he ran full out trying to put enough distance between him and the men intent on killing him. Thorny branches clawed and tore at his clothes and skin as he raced against time. The helo would only remain at the prearranged extraction point for a few short minutes.

This was the second attempt at an exfil; things hadn't gone quite as planned at the first extraction. And now the second try wasn't looking too good either. Not only was the thick undergrowth of the jungle impeding his progress, but the gunshot wound to his left leg was also slowing him down. Fortunately, he hadn't heard any additional gunfire the past few minutes. With luck, he'd given his pursuers the slip. He'd been running for days and he didn't think he had enough energy to run much farther.

A choppy sound was coming from somewhere overhead and to the right; it sounded like an unbalanced washing machine on spin cycle. He took a chance and veered off the trail, crashing though bushes and vines and vaulting over fallen trees. The only thing that kept him going was the _whop whop_ sound overhead. It was getting louder and he knew rescue was imminent. Another minute of bushwhacking and he found himself in a small clearing.

As soon as he stepped into the open area, a rope descended from the helicopter hovering overhead. While he'd hoped for a clearing large enough for the helo to be able to land, many of his previous extractions had been by _strings _and any rescue was a good rescue. There was a time he'd considered dangling from a rope under a flying helo fun, but over time the transport method had lost its appeal. He spent the few seconds catching his breath while waiting for the rope to reach him so he could quickly step into the harness without fumbling the clips.

With the practiced ease of a long-time field soldier, he attached his carabiner to the D-ring on the rig, set the safety ring and signaled his readiness. The helicopter immediately lifted straight up, dangling the man below it. As soon as the "load" was clear of the treetops, the helo increased forward speed, but not before the enemy broke out into the clearing.

At the first shot from below, the man returned fire and prayed that the helicopter would get out of range quickly. Unfortunately, his luck hadn't changed. Bad luck had plagued his entire mission and it continued even as he was being rescued. A single round sliced through his leg calf just inches below his other wound. There was nothing he could do until the helicopter landed.

The secure insert zone was several miles away and the man relaxed as best he could, thinking back over the details of the mission and what he could have done differently. The reality was that sometimes shit just happens, like him getting shot.

He'd been shot before and he'd probably get shot again, but the novelty had long since worn off. He was carrying enough shrapnel in his body to set off a metal detector.

The helo hovered and then lowered until the man's feet touched ground. He quickly unclipped the harness and limped away from under the helo. When it landed he scrambled aboard, falling to his right side as soon as his feet cleared the door. While the crew secured the hatch, the medic kneeled down by the man they'd just extracted from the jungle and checked him over. The all clear had been given to the pilot, who lifted off without a backward glance. The nearest base was an hour away, so the rest of the crew settled in for the duration of the flight.

The medic had to quickly stop the bleeding from the gunshot wound in his calf, and then treat the day-old half-dollar-sized exit wound in the back of the man's thigh. Treatment was unbelievably painful. He shoved packet after packet of sterile gauze into the wound while the man clenched his fists and bit down so hard on his bottom lip, it started bleeding. The man didn't make a sound, though. Perversely, the medic was grateful for the man's stoicism.

After patching up the man's leg, the medic helped him move over and lean up against the side of the cabin. Then he began setting up an IV, but the man stopped him. "I don't need that."

"I'll be the judge of that, soldier. Lean back and rest; that's an order. You've lost a lot of blood, you're dehydrated and close to heat stroke. No one's going down on my watch."

The man gave in. He was too tired to do much else. Besides, a medic's orders were to be followed without question.

After he finished treating the man, the medic gave him a bottle of water and dropped down next to him. Everyone in the cabin was silent, alone with their own thoughts, but someone had turned on their MP3 player to full volume and music filled the small cabin.

The man reached down several times, but stopped short of rubbing his left leg. The pain was so intense it was hard to sit still. He'd had worse injuries, but they hadn't seemed so at the time. Now, the pain wasn't so readily dismissed. He used to be able to easily leap inside the helo after a mission, but not any longer. Now he had to scramble and pull himself onboard. His body was giving him clear signals that it couldn't handle such punishing work without sustaining injuries and causing considerable pain. The truth was, at the ripe age of thirty-eight, he was getting too old for this kind of work.

He shifted positions, trying to ease the throbbing in his leg. He knew there was only one thing, a distant memory really, that could come between him and the pain, but he hadn't allowed himself to go there – to think of her – while he was still on the run. Maybe now that he was on his way back to the base, he could chance it.

He adjusted his body position once again, easing his shoulders up against the helicopter's cabin wall. The lulling vibrations coming through the metal wall were like a soothing massage on his aching muscles, and the undercurrent of the music booming distracted him from his pain. The song playing was an oldie, not his style, but it was a catchy tune from what he could hear above the drone of the helicopter. Something about "Take a Chance on Me." The woman singing reminded him of someone. Someone he'd not allowed himself to think about because thoughts of her were too distracting. But now... he closed his eyes and let his mind drift.

_The café door opened and there she was. She was wearing a black suit with a red silk blouse and sexy black heels. Her legs were bare and what a fine pair of legs they were. She had a wild mass of curly brown hair that floated around her face except for the loose tendrils that were plastered to her sweaty forehead. She stood there for a minute savoring the cool air as it rushed past her through the open doorway. Then she stepped inside the diner and let the door swing shut. Her eyes roamed around the room until they settled in my direction. Our eyes met and it felt like someone had sucker punched me. Her eyes were the bluest pair of eyes I'd ever seen and I knew, right then, I was hooked. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"Ranger, let Lester handle the McDermott situation. He can calm that old dragon lady just as well as you, maybe even better," Bobby said as he applied the last bandage to Ranger's leg wound.

"The McDermott account is one of our biggest. Until McDermott's death, it had been one of our simplest," Ranger said, as he leaned over and rolled down his pant leg. "Now with Mrs. McDermott at the helm, we've had nothing but complaints from them. We've got to get this under control."

"You know how effective Santos can be when he turns on the charm, especially if a woman is involved," Bobby said, grinning.

"Clients need to be satisfied, not charmed," Ranger grumbled as he hopped down off the exam table. Wincing a little, he shifted his weight to his right leg. "And besides, Mrs. McDermott is over eighty. Do you really think Santos' _supposed_ charm will work…?" Ranger shook his head. Much to his amazement – and sometimes disgust – Santos seemed to be able to get any female to eat out of his hand. And if Santos was as good as he bragged, he might awaken more than even he could handle in that old sourpuss. Ranger gave a slight snort at the grotesque image.

Bobby studied his boss and friend as he put the gauze and tape back in his medic bag. Ranger's gunshot wounds were healing as expected, but it had been weeks since he'd returned from that FUBAR mission, and Bobby was worried that Ranger was still unduly favoring his injured leg.

"I want you to take it easy for a while; give your leg a chance to heal properly," Bobby said. "None of us heal as fast as we used to."

At that last statement, Ranger closed his eyes and let out a long slow breath. Bobby was confirming the thought that had dominated Ranger's mind since his last mission. The truth was he was in a young man's profession, and he was no longer a young man. Thirty-eight was pushing it for black ops work. He had some thinking to do.

Hal stuck his head in the room and directed his comments to Ranger. "The police scanner's squawking about an explosion on Chestnut just south of Hamilton. Something about a hot dog stand and a propane tank. And… Ms. Plum."

Both men's heads jerked up. Bobby commented, "Chestnut and Hamilton? That's Chance Park. There's a little league playoff game there today which means lots of food vendors. Sounds like Steph's stomach got the better of her again."

Hal and Bobby chuckled, but Ranger tensed and grabbed his jacket off the back of a chair. "Tell Santos to handle the McDermott situation." Then he left the room and headed for the stairs, trying hard not to favor his injured leg. At the last minute, he punched the button for the elevator instead of taking the stairs. Bobby's advice had hit its mark.

It wasn't hard to spot the location. A billowing black cloud was visible above the trees. Ranger parked the Porsche on a side street and strode rapidly toward the park. Anyone looking at him wouldn't see the worry on his face, but it was there… and it had a tight grasp on his heart. As he approached the park, he had to maneuver through the crowd of gawkers and little leaguers with their parents. Chestnut Avenue itself was filled with several police cars, two fire trucks and an ambulance.

Pushing through the throng, Ranger made his way over to the ambulance. He finally relaxed when he saw her standing next to it, as opposed to lying in it. He was always relieved when he saw her after one of these incidents, but this time there was an added sense of gratitude.

Ever since he got back from his last mission, she had been on his mind more than usual. Something had changed, and he had changed with it. He'd always been physically attracted to her, but now it was different. The need had morphed into more than just sexual need. He needed to see her, to know she was safe...and happy. Thoughts of her were the only thing that allowed him to relax, to sleep at night, to get him into his zone.

He walked toward her, noticing that her face was smudged with soot and the ends of her hair looked frizzed, but she wasn't wearing any bandages – always a good sign. Joe Morelli was standing in front of her, his posture rigid, his hands clenched. Neither of them looked very happy.

As Ranger got closer, he heard Steph protest, "I had nothing to do with it."

He smiled to himself. It was typical Steph. His forward momentum was impeded as a bunch of kids ran in front of him. He stopped to let the noisy children pass, unable to hear Morelli's response.

Steph was getting animated the more she talked. "Really, Joe! Lula and I just stopped by to get a chili dog and… BOOM!" Her hands came up and spread apart over her head.

"It's the _boom_ that gets me, Cupcake. Things always seem to go _boom_ around you." Joe's hands mimicked Steph's as he said _boom_ and then they settled on his hips. With his legs spread wide and his shoulders hunched forward, he looked ready to do battle.

Steph rubbed the back of her neck and took a step backward. "It wasn't my fault," she muttered.

Joe shook his head. "It's never your fault." He ran both hands through his unkempt hair. "I can't keep doing this. Every time a call comes in, my nerves start twitching. And then I hear your name and my stomach rolls over. I drink so much Maalox® I should buy stock in the company." Joe looked down at the ground before he reached out a hand and touched her cheek.

In a softer voice, he said, "I'm begging you, Steph. Quit this. Get a new job, a normal job. One where you go into an office everyday and sit at a desk. One where psychos don't want to blow you up. One where I won't worry myself into an early grave."

Steph's foot had been tapping furiously the entire time Morelli was talking. When he finished, she lashed out, "That's always the answer for you, isn't it? _For me to quit my job_. Your work is just as dangerous as mine, and you don't hear me demanding that you quit your job."

The EMT that had checked Steph over was eavesdropping while pretending to put his gear away. Joe grabbed Steph's arm and tried to steer her toward his vehicle, not wanting to have this conversation in public. "Let's talk about this later at home."

Steph jerked her arm out of his grasp and yelled, "There won't be any _later_ and there won't be any _at home_."

"Steph…"

"No, Joe. No more talking. We're done talking. I'll pick up my stuff tomorrow."

They glared at each other for a moment before Joe huffed loudly, turned and stalked back to his vehicle. Ranger resumed walking toward an obviously upset Stephanie.

She stared after Joe for a minute before turning the other way and walking down the sidewalk. Suddenly, she stopped and threw her hands up in the air, muttering to herself.

Ranger was right behind her when she turned around and smacked into him. He caught her arms before she could step back.

"Where'd you come from?" she exclaimed, looking up at him.

"Babe."

She looked past his head to the dissipating black cloud in the sky. "What… was there a Batman signal in the smoke?"

That elicited a hint of a grin from him. "I was worried," Ranger said as he moved her off the sidewalk and toward a small copse of trees. He reached into one of his cargo pants' pockets and pulled out a white handkerchief.

"I'm OK," she shrugged, but refused to make eye contact again. "I had nothing to do with it. I just was ordering a chili dog, and Lula was rummaging in her handbag for some money…"

"And?" He gently wiped the cloth across her sooty cheeks.

Steph fidgeted and blew out a big puff of air. "And one of the hot dog stands' propane tanks exploded."

"And?" He finished cleaning her forehead and chin, and repocketed the handkerchief.

Another sigh. "And then the other tank exploded."

"Babe…"

She finally looked at him. "I suppose, maybe… the gun in Lula's bag went off…accidentally."

The grin bloomed into a smile. One arm snaked around her shoulders, and he pulled her into his chest. "Where's Lula now?" he asked.

Before she dropped her forehead onto his chest, she answered, "She must have taken off. Cops make her nervous."

"Was she your ride?"

Steph's head thunked repeatedly against his muscular chest as she nodded. "I'm waiting for a check from the insurance company. For my last car-the one some pervert drove into the Delaware," she clarified, in case Ranger wasn't keeping up with her latest transportation woes.

Ranger dipped his head into her frizzed curls. "You smell like burnt hot dogs." There was a slight hiccupy sound for a reply. "I'll take you home," he offered.

"I don't have a home," was her muffled reply.

Ranger leaned back and lifted Steph's chin so she would meet his gaze. After a few moments of silence, she explained, "My apartment's being recarpeted. Mrs. Jarvis – she has the apartment above me – fell asleep while waiting for her bathtub to fill and the water ran all night. When I got out of bed in the morning, I thought I stepped into the Everglades. And my nieces are staying at my parents while Valerie and Albert are out of town. So I moved in with Joe, but…" She glanced back toward the departing police car and sighed.

"You can stay at RangeMan." With his hands gripping her upper arms, Ranger pulled her up until she was standing on her tiptoes. His eyes began to darken the longer he gazed into her baby blues. Their lips were almost touching as he said, "It's been a while since we've shared a bed."

Steph's eyes got big and her breathing increased noticeably as she realized what he was implying. Before she could protest or move away, his lips covered hers in a full on kiss. It wasn't one of those quick kisses either. As the kiss continued, Steph's hands latched onto the lapels of his jacket and she let her entire body collapse against his. A low moan sounded deep within her throat.

When he finally pulled back, he saw her eyes were still closed, her mouth slightly open. He leaned in to kiss her again. With a start, her eyes flew open and she pushed against his chest. He didn't budge, and he held on to her arms.

A pink blush crept up her neck and into her cheeks as she said, "I don't think that's a good idea, Ranger. I'll call Mary Lou and see if I can crash on her sofa again."

"I have a sofa, too. And no gum-chewing kids or flatulent dog." He grinned, remembering Steph's gum-in-the-hair ordeal from her last sleep over at her best friend's house. He tempted her, "I'll let you use my shower gel." A slow grin crept across Steph's face, and Ranger released his grip on her.

"Okay, RangeMan it is, but I'm sleeping on your sofa… after I take a shower with your heavenly smelling gel."

Stephanie came out of the bedroom just as Ranger dished up the dinner his housekeeper, Ella, had brought up. Ranger wondered how Ella did it; she could add servings and special ingredients to a meal with only a few minutes' notice. He never ate dessert, but tonight Ella had included a chocolate cream pie. Stephanie would love it.

As she brushed past him, he sniffed her hair appreciatively, but grimaced inwardly at her hair's heavily singed ends. "You don't smell like smoke anymore," he said. Almost as if to himself, he muttered, "That explosion really did a number on your beautiful hair."

Steph wasn't used to compliments and blushed as she sat down at the table. "I sure hope Mr. Alexander doesn't have to take too much off to get rid of the charred ends. He had to cut it shorter than I like last month when Mary Lou's kids put all that gum in it."

She opened her napkin and dropped it on her lap. Taking a deep sniff of the food in front of her, Steph said, "God bless Ella."

"That'll suffice as grace," Ranger said as he forked a piece of roast chicken into his mouth.

Dinner was eaten in relative quiet, Stephanie asking an occasional question and Ranger replying with a minimal amount of words. They shared the clean up routine and then it was time for bed.

Steph meandered into Ranger's bedroom and disappeared into his dressing room where the bed linens were kept. Grabbing one of the sinfully decadent high thread count sheets and a down pillow that his linen closet was always stocked with, Steph came back out into the living room.

Ranger was sitting in his armchair, watching her as she made up her bed on the sofa. Steph bent over the cushions to tuck in the sheet, and her well-formed derriere was clearly outlined against the pair of boxers she'd borrowed from him. Responding to a primal urge, he stood and reached her in one quick stride. Without a word, he pulled her against him, back to front, and splayed his large hands across her belly.

Nuzzling her neck, he stated with authority, "My bed is much more comfortable than the couch. And I assure you will enjoy sleeping with me better than by yourself. Join me, Babe."

It wasn't a command nor was it an entreaty. It was an offer and a hard one to turn down. Steph's eyes closed and she melted into his chest wanting nothing more than to give in to temptation. Then she felt his hard length pressed against her butt, and her eyes snapped open.

Steph disentangled herself from his arms and quipped, "If you and I shared a bed, there'd be very little sleeping and I… uh…need my sleep. I have a busy day tomorrow. Besides, I don't think Joe would buy my defense."

"Defense?"

"My addiction to your high thread count sheets." She fluffed up the pillow and held it against her like a shield.

Laughing in response, he asked, "Is that the only thing in my bed that you're addicted to?"

She didn't smile, but stared back for a minute before mumbling her less than playful response, "As you so clearly have told me before, the _only other thing_ comes with a condom, not a ring." She turned around to finish making up her bed on the couch.

The playful mood dissipated, Ranger gazed long and hard at her back. Had he really said such a stupid thing to her? Yeah, he had. He'd been a fool. In an instant, he made a decision. No more gropes in alleyways, no more stolen kisses, no more one-night affairs. Tomorrow, he would try something new.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

The parking lot at Tasty Pastry was full, so Steph pulled the shiny new black truck against the curb directly in front of the auto parts store next door. The truck was a loaner from Ranger, another one. As she waited in line, she tried to count up how many vehicles Ranger had lent her over the years and how many she had destroyed. She was in line for a good twenty minutes and still hadn't finished her count. But the waiting time was worth it because a new batch of freshly made donuts now filled the glass display case.

"I'll take a dozen assorted," she told the pimply-faced boy behind the counter.

The teenaged boy gave her a bored look and asked in a monotone voice, "Would you like to take a chance on a Jersey Devil?" He pointed to the sign overhead which read, "Take a chance on one of our new Jersey Devils and you could win an all-expense paid trip to Point Pleasant." Steph looked at the row of bright red glazed donuts marked "Jersey Devils" in the display case. The boy continued, "One of them has a little plastic red devil in them. If you get that one, you win the trip."

Steph nodded. She'd never won anything before, but she loved Point Pleasant. Why not take a chance? She nearly drooled as he picked up a square of waxed paper and slowly put one donut at a time into the pink cardboard box, including one bright red Jersey Devil. After paying for the pastries, she carried them out to the RangeMan truck, holding the box as if it contained the Royal Jewels. She didn't even wait to get in the truck; she set the box on the hood and pulled out a chocolate donut with chocolate icing and sprinkles.

Just as her teeth sank into the fried confection, she heard a familiar male voice, "I thought I'd find you here, but where's your car?"

"My car is in car heaven by now. This," she tapped on the hood of the truck, "is my new ride, at least until the insurance check comes in."

Joe stepped back and took a long look at the brand new Ford truck. "This is one of Ranger's stolen vehicles, isn't it?"

"Ranger doesn't steal them," she retorted. "I only agreed to borrow it until I can get a new car."

"Where did you sleep last night, Steph?" Joe was glaring at her. "I tried your cell phone, but it just went to voicemail. I called your parents, but they said they hadn't seen you since Sunday dinner. Don't tell me you were with _him_?"

"I was gonna stay at Mary Lou's, but …" she lifted a charred lock of her hair, "my hair can't take her kids anymore. I have an appointment with Mr. Alexander this afternoon and I'm afraid he's going to give me bob cut or something equally horrendous." She stuffed the rest of the donut in her mouth, grabbed the box and moved toward the driver's side of the truck.

Joe put his hand on her arm and asked, "If you didn't stay at Mary Lou's, then where did you stay?"

Shrugging off his hand, she took her time chewing while she opened the truck door and laid the box on the passenger seat. Turning to Joe, she replied, "I slept on Ranger's couch. He slept in his bedroom." She waited for the explosion – from Joe, not from the truck. Nothing happened immediately.

Joe looked from her to the truck, to the cars passing by, and then back at Stephanie. He gave his clenched jaws a workout as he gazed intently at her.

"Marry me," he blurted out.

Steph blinked her eyes rapidly several times. "_What_?" she gasped.

"Marry me. You know, the ring, the church, the honeymoon. The whole shebang."

"Just like that? You're asking me to marry you, just like that, in the parking lot of the Tasty Pastry?"

"Well, actually we're on the street in front of the Tasty Pastry. What better place then where we first did it?" Joe gave her a mischievous look, his mouth curved upward in a lopsided smile. "And it's not exactly sudden, Cupcake. We've been together for over six years now. We've talked about marriage lots of times. We almost did it once, too. It's time. It's past time. I'm pushing 40. I'm not getting any younger… and neither are you."

"But…" she stammered.

He took a step closer to her. "I love you, Stephanie. And I know you love me." Joe reached for her hand and held it, rubbing his thumb across the back of it. "We both have danced around making a commitment to each other for years. It's time for us to grow up. I want to get married. I want to have children. I want to have children with you. I want to grow old with you. I want children before I'm too old to play with them. I want to be the kind of dad I never had. I want to be your husband." He pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed it as he stared into her eyes. "Marry me."

Steph stood stock still, her eyes blinking repeatedly, her mouth partially open, her breathing becoming rapid and shallow.

"Steph?" Joe queried, looking at her glazed over eyes.

Her head began a tight little shake from side to side, her eyes closed and she took several quick breaths. She could feel her body trembling, like it was freezing and trying to get warm. Her heart was beating a mile a minute, and she felt like she couldn't breathe. She had a panicked look on her face. Joe reached out and grasped both her upper arms.

"Stephanie… I need an answer. What do you say? You and me…taking that long slow walk down the aisle. Taking that long walk down the road of life… together."

Steph sucked in a big lungful of air and let it out slowly, her body shuddering in response. She felt like she was going to throw up. Shakily, she uttered, "Joe… I can't…I can't answer you right now." She closed her eyes for a moment and took another deep breath, trying to stay in control. "It's too much to process this early in the morning."

Joe's hands dropped from her arms and he blew out a deep breath. "This can't be such a shock, Steph. We've been engaged before. We've been living together…on and off… for years." His voice got a little louder and it had an edge to it. "You should know by now whether or not you want to marry me. It's a simple answer: yes or no."

"It's not simple. I'm not ready." She was starting to visibly shake again.

"I am. I need an answer. I deserve an answer." Joe's look changed from imploring to demanding. "Well?"

Steph's eyes widened at Joe's vehement response. "I can't give you one." She took a step back. "Why are you doing this? I don't need this pressure, Joe." Her arms flew up and out, waving in the rapidly heating morning air. She turned toward the truck. "We'll talk about this later. I can't talk about it right now. I have to go to work."

"If you can't give me an answer now, you're never going to be able to. I can't wait forever." He stepped around her and reached into the truck, opening the pink box. When he faced her again he was holding the red donut, the Jersey Devil.

"I'm asking you one more time." He got down on one knee before her and took her left hand in his. As he clumsily squished the donut over her ring finger, he asked, "Will you marry me, Stephanie Plum?"

A horrified look crossed her face. _This can't be happening_, her mind screamed. She shouted, "Joe, no," and jerked her hand out of his. The red donut went flying into the street where it was promptly smashed as flat as a pancake by a garbage truck. _So much for taking a chance_, she thought.

Flustered, she stammered, "I can't do this right now." She took another step back.

Slowly, Joe got back on his feet. He looked into her blue eyes once more and then leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Have a nice life, Steph. I hope one day you get what you're waiting for. Obviously, I'm not it." And then he walked away.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Steph dragged herself up the two flights of stairs to her apartment. It had been an awful day, and all she wanted to do was fall into bed and be comatose for the next twelve hours. It had started out pretty good with one of Ella's delicious breakfasts including a large piece of chocolate cream pie, and then Ranger offering her one of his RangeMan vehicles to drive until she could replace the piece of shit car she lost a few days ago. She'd stopped by the Tasty Pastry to get some donuts for Connie and Lula, and that's when the day started to go bad.

Joe had showed up and, out of the blue, popped the question. _The_ Question. Steph shook her head. Why had he done that? She wasn't ready for marriage. She wasn't even ready to get engaged. She could barely take care of herself… and Rex. There was no way she was ready to take care of a husband... and potentially kids. And she certainly hadn't been prepared to be asked such a life-changing question at 7:30 in the morning. Hell, Joe hadn't been prepared for it either. A donut for an engagement ring? She let out a _phfffft_.

The day had gotten progressively worse from there. Her first skip of the day had thrown his morning cup of coffee on her and then slammed the door in her face. Anger surged through her as she remembered the humiliating incident. He was lucky she didn't sue his ass for scalding her. She smiled, remembering when he unfortunately tripped over her foot and tumbled down the last flight of stairs as she was leading him out of his third-floor walk up.

And now Steph was trudging up the stairs of her own apartment building. There had been a crowd of seniors in the lobby clustered around a brightly colored notice posted next to the elevator, so she opted for the stairs. Glad the day was finally over, she trudged down the stuffy hall to her apartment. She unlocked her door and went in, closing out the rest of the world. Or so she thought.

Setting on the middle of her dining table was a crystal vase filled with a stunning assortment of different colored roses. She didn't need to read the card to know who they were from. Joe was really going all out to win her over. She knew he couldn't stay away. He never did, no matter how many times they fought, no matter how many times they broke up.

As she stood there staring at the flowers, she mumbled to herself, "How dare he give me an ultimatum? Things were going just fine the way they were. Why did he have to go and screw it up like that?"

Steph ignored the flowers and went straight into the bathroom. When she came out a few minutes later, she was ready to take a long nap. Her bedroom was cool and dark, and she thanked her lucky stars the air conditioning was working. Not bothering to turn on the lights or shuck her dirty clothes, she flopped down on her bed. And got right back up again and flipped the light on.

There was something lying on the bed. On top of her plaid comforter was a gorgeous black halter-top cocktail dress. It was sexy without being too revealing, classy but not ostentatious, and it was way over her budget. And way over Joe's budget, too. Next to the dress were a black lace bra and panty set, and a pair of killer taupe open-toed heels. Much too sophisticated for Joe. This had to be the work of….

"Ranger!" she exclaimed.

"Babe."

Steph whirled around and there was the man of mystery himself, leaning against the doorjamb of her bedroom door.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "I'm assuming these are yours?" She gestured to the dress and accessories on the bed.

"Black _is_ my color," he replied, "but a halter top with _my_ wide shoulders?" A slight smile pulled up the corners of his mouth. "Besides, they aren't my size." Ranger humor.

Steph sighed. "Do you need me for a distraction?" she asked. " 'Cause I'm really tired. It's been a helluva day."

"Then why don't you take a cool shower, slip into that little black dress and let me take you out for a relaxing dinner at Rossini's."

Steph's eyes widened. "No distraction?" she asked, a puzzled look on her face.

"You in that dress will be enough of a distraction. Tonight, it will be just you and me. No dangerous skips, no RangeMen."

"You're asking me out? To Rossini's? Is this some work thing or did you lose a bet?" she asked.

"Can't a guy ask a girl out?" Ranger said.

_Ranger… asking her out on a date?_ Steph shook her head in disbelief.

"Are the roses from you, too?" she queried, questions popping up all through her head. If the flowers weren't from Joe, did that mean Joe was still mad at her? Could he have been serious about the ultimatum? That wasn't like Joe. And Ranger was not behaving like himself either. What was going on? It felt like her world was coming apart.

Until today, her life had been in perfect balance. She had the most serious and sexiest badass she could ever conjure up flitting in and out of her life, and she had the lusty boyfriend of her high school dreams, both of whom kept her on this roller coaster ride of addictive taboo desire and wanton sexual satisfaction. What more could a girl ask for? She admitted that the potential allure of Ranger kept her from making a true commitment to Joe, and Ranger, well, he was never going commit… not to her or to anyone. She had the best of both worlds without having to lift a finger or make a decision. Until today…

"You didn't read the card," he stated.

"I thought they were from Joe. We had a fight and…" she mumbled, letting the rest of it trail off.

He stepped toward her and placed his hands on her upper arms. "Sounds like my timing is perfect." He walked her backward for a few steps until her shoulders bumped against the wall. His lips brushed across hers, sending her blood pressure soaring.

He whispered in her ear, "I'll be back in an hour to pick you up. I can't wait to see you in that little black dress. And then, later, see you out of it." _Gulp_! Her heart began to speed up until it felt like it was going to burst out of her chest. He kissed her again, this time with his entire body pressed fully into hers. Then he turned and walked out of the bedroom.

Steph's head was spinning, but she knew one thing. Going on this date with Ranger was out of the question. What would Joe say? And somehow, she knew that it would change her life forever, and she wasn't ready for that. Just the thought of it sent her into a tailspin. She leaned over the bed, swept up the dress and ran after Ranger. She caught up to him just as he opened her front door.

"Ranger, I can't go out with you. Not tonight." She thrust the dress at him. "I'm sorry."

"That's okay. We'll do it tomorrow," he said, pushing the dress back toward her.

"_Hunh uh_. Nope." She shook her head back and forth. "I can't do it then either. Maybe later, when my life isn't so hectic." She shoved him out the door and closed and locked it. Not that any lock would keep Ranger out, but it sent him a clear message.

Relieved that Ranger had left without pushing her for a definite answer, she shuffled back a few feet into her kitchen and saw the flowers again. Curious now, she plucked the little white envelope out of its plastic holding stake. Opening it, she saw there was a card and another stiff piece of paper. She pulled both out. One was a lottery Scratchers ticket from the heavily publicized _Take a Chance_ game. Winners could receive anything from $10 to $1,000,000. The other was a plain white card with Ranger's familiar bold scrawl on it. On it, he'd written, "Take a chance…on us" and signed it RCM.

Steph's heart started beating frantically again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

The next few days were hectic ones for Stephanie. Vinnie was getting hysterical about several of his "clients" that no one had been able to locate, and time on each of their bonds was running out. Connie just ignored Vinnie's constant screaming, and Lula kept calling in sick to avoid his histrionics, so Stephanie was taking the brunt of Vinnie's foul mood.

He'd already berated her several times for not being able to find her primary FTA, Riesgo Nazario, a Puerto Rican drug dealer who was fond of using schoolchildren to peddle his poison. He would soon cost Vinnie $150,000…and Steph the incredible sum of $15,000 if she didn't bring him in by the end of the week. Steph really needed the money, but she didn't need Vinnie yelling at her all the time, so she was in the field all hours of the day and night trying to find Nazario. Vinnie was threatening to fire Steph's "sorry ass" if she didn't do the job he was "paying her tons of money" to do. Ha! Vinnie didn't pay her a cent unless she brought in her skips.

Ranger had called her several times, but she'd let his calls go to voicemail. Each message he'd left had gotten progressively more insistent that she call him back, at first with a time for their "date" and then just a request to return his calls. With all the skips Vinnie was loading her up with, she didn't have time to go out on a date, and it would just be too weird. She and Ranger had gone out to eat together many times, but it had always been because of work. Besides, Joe would blow a gasket if he heard that she had actually gone on a date with Ranger.

Joe hadn't called once. She was getting seriously stressed out over both men's responses. And if that wasn't enough, she finally read the notice that had been posted in the lobby downstairs and found out her apartment building was going condo. There was no way she could afford to buy her place; she could barely afford to pay the rent each month. Desperation was setting in.

Steph sat in her loaner RangeMan truck and stared across the street at the front door of the office building. It was an unusually warm day and she had the windows rolled down, which let in the diesel fumes from the street and the heady aroma of fresh baked bread from the deli next door. The combination of smells made her both hungry and queasy. She brushed off the powdered sugar from her t-shirt and reached into the pink box that was on the seat next to her. Without looking, she pulled out a rainbow-sprinkled cake donut this time. Smiling at her good fortune, she took a big bite out of the colorful confection and sighed while she chewed.

She needed to get into the office, but not while Vinnie was still there. Her vehicle was angled with a view down the side alley so she could see if his car left the back parking lot. Things were really bad when staking out your own place of work was necessary just to avoid your hot-tempered boss, Steph mused. She just couldn't face another tantrum from Vinnie, or worse, have him fire her, but she needed Connie to run another background check on Nazario. She was worried he had left Jersey and she needed to know where he might have gone. Connie might be able to find out if he had family nearby, maybe in New York or Philadelphia.

Steph popped the last bite of donut into her mouth when a dark shape suddenly appeared at the driver's side door. Startled, Steph choked and the remains of the donut spewed out of her mouth, sending a shower of rainbow-colored sprinkles over the front windshield and dashboard. She turned her head to stare into Ranger's chocolate brown eyes, just inches from hers.

He shot a glance toward the bespeckled windshield and almost rolled his eyes. "Babe."

Steph panicked and reached for the key in the ignition, but Ranger was quicker. He reached in and took the keys from her, beckoning her out of the truck. With a deep sigh, Steph got out. She leaned against the door and looked down at her shoes.

Ranger glanced across the street and then back at her. "Staking out your own office?" he asked.

"It's Vinnie. He's on the warpath, again." Steph was doing her best not to look Ranger in the eye. "I haven't been able to find Riesgo Navario and his bond comes due tomorrow. I've been working day and night, using every source I know, but no one seems to know where he is," Steph told him. "I need Connie to run a new search on him, but I don't want to run into 'Mr. I'm Going to Fire Your Ass' Plum."

"Riesgo, huh? That means risk or chance in Spanish. He's a dangerous bastard. I don't want you taking a chance on him. I'll have Rodriguez run the search for you."

"Thanks, but I can do this. You don't need to bail me out of everything, Ranger."

"I'm not offering to bring him in for you, just run a search."

"Thanks, but Connie has some contacts that might put me on to some of his relatives. I've just been too busy to get in to see her."

"And too busy to answer any of my calls?"

Steph blew out a big puff of air and turned slightly so she could look down the side alley. "This is a big bust for me. I need the money."

Ranger pulled out his phone. "Let me call Rodriguez."

"No. I'm not going to use you that way. You've already done enough." She gently patted the hood of the truck. "Old Betsy here is more than enough. Thank you for loaning her to me."

"You name your vehicles?"

She shrugged. "Betsy and I have been spending a lot of time together... on stakeouts. I talk to her so it doesn't feel like I'm talking to myself."

That got an almost smile from Ranger. "About our date," Ranger began.

Steph's head swiveled around and she blurted out, "Vinnie's leaving. Gotta go." She plucked the keys out of Ranger's hand and ran across the street, leaving Ranger staring after her, a frown on his face.

...

Steph drove Besty into the underground garage at Haywood, heaving a deep sigh as she pulled into a parking spot near the elevator. Driving the brand new truck the last few days had been a nice change. She had the insurance check in her pocket and had worked out a deal with Dougie Kruper aka The Dealer on a used Mustang. She'd miss Betsy though. Betsy had air conditioning, voice-activated GPS and an excellent stereo. The Mustang had four bald tires and an engine that sounded like an old steam locomotive.

She gave the sleek black truck one last gentle caress before heading to the elevator. Now, if she could just drop off the keys without running into Ranger, she'd be all set. She didn't have time for idle chitchat, and she certainly didn't have time to go to dinner with him.

Disappointingly, she hadn't been able to bring in Nazario, so she'd lost out on $15,000 and had to endure constant haranguing from Vinnie ever since. She was lucky he hadn't fired her. In fact, he had loaded her up with a new rash of FTAs. She barely had time to eat and sleep, in between chasing down fugitives from the law. She needed to make enough money to pay first and last month's rent on a new apartment, because she'd never be able to afford the down payment when her apartment went condo.

She ran her hand through her close-cropped curls, silently cursing Mr. Alexander for cutting her hair so short after that close call with the exploding propane tanks. Her hair wasn't even long enough to pull into a ponytail. Heck, even Ranger's hair was longer than hers.

Ranger. She was still puzzled over him asking her out on a date. Since when did Ranger date? Since when did she date? She'd been with Joe so long, she couldn't remember her last actual date. Sometimes, she'd meet Joe at Pino's for a hurried lunch, but was that really a date?

With a start, she realized she hadn't heard from Joe since he'd made that weird donut proposal a few weeks ago. She had been too busy to even think about it. Something told her she should be worried about Joe's silence, but she was more relieved than concerned. She didn't need any more pressure in her life right now. Vinnie was putting enough pressure on her to equal four Joes and a Ranger. If she could just bring in enough FTAs to pay rent and gas, and maybe fill a bare cupboard with some bread, olives and peanut butter, she'd be all set and could relax again. Until then, she didn't have time to worry about the men in her life.

Pulling her shoulders back and lifting her chin, she pushed the elevator button. She stepped out on five and looked up and down the hallway. No one was in sight and Ranger's door was shut. She slipped quietly down the hall to Lester's cubicle.

"Hey, Steph," Lester cried out. "What are you doing here?"

"_Shhhh_. I don't want anyone to know I'm here. I'm just dropping off the keys to the truck Ranger loaned me. Here." She handed him the keys and turned to leave.

"Don't you need a ride somewhere? I'm ready, willing and able," he quipped, a not so subtle leer lifting his ever-moving lips.

She nodded. "Yeah, that'd be nice. I need to pick up my new wheels from a friend."

Lester stood up and grabbed Steph's hand and pulled her along with him toward the elevator, knowing she hated to take the stairs. She glanced at Ranger's closed office door as they passed, relieved that he hadn't come out.

As they departed the elevator, Les guided her to the closest of the many black SUVs in the garage. Just as she was about to open the passenger door, a hand clamped down on hers and the faint scent of Bulgari wafted over her.

Ranger spoke over her head to Lester, "I'll take Steph wherever she wants to go. I need you and Hector to go over to the McDermott building and readjust some of the cameras. Mrs. McDermott isn't happy with their coverage. It has to be done before noon." Les glanced at Steph, nodded to Ranger and then sprinted over to the stairwell, leaving Steph alone with Ranger.

"Babe, it's been a while. I hope you were finally coming to see me." He looked searchingly at her while she looked anywhere but at him.

"Actually, I was just dropping off your truck. Thank you so much for the loan. You don't need to bother taking me anywhere. I just have to pick up my new car, and it's only a few blocks from here."

"A new car? You must be doing okay," he said.

"Don't I wish. It's a 2002 Mustang that Dougie Kruper found me. It runs and it's within my budget. Sometimes, those two requirements don't exactly match," she said, letting out a nervous laugh.

He put his arm around her shoulders and led her to his Porsche two cars away. "Let's go see a man about a horse."

As they drove out of the garage, Ranger popped the question she'd been dreading. "Why have you been avoiding me?"

Steph looked out the passenger window and replied, "I haven't been avoiding you. I've just been busy."

"Too busy to even talk to me?"

"Really, _really_ busy. Vinnie's loaded me up with skips, and since his other agent quit, I'm it." She glanced his way. "If you want to get back into bounty hunting, business is booming."

Ranger shot her a look. "No thanks, though I'll ask some of my men if they want to pick up a few extra bucks to give Vinnie a call. " They came to a stop at the train tracks, and Ranger put the car in neutral. He reached over and turned her head toward him, not giving her an option of avoiding him. "Speaking of phone calls, why haven't you answered any of mine?"

"Ranger," Steph started, darting her eyes away from his, "I really have been busy. Things are incredibly hectic right now. I barely have time to eat or sleep."

"Let me help you with that, Babe. First, when you need backup, call. I'll have one of my men assist you. And second, let me take you to dinner tonight, a real dinner with wine and white tablecloths, and then," he dropped his hand and placed it over hers, giving it a gentle squeeze, "you can come back to my apartment and we'll... sleep."

Inhaling deeply, she replied, "Tonight, I'm doing a stakeout in Hamilton Township for an accused forger. And early tomorrow, Lula and I have to meet with an informant about another skip who's wanted for flashing the kids at St. Mary's Elementary. I spoke to one of the nuns, and she's worried because he's been getting bolder and she's afraid he may try grabbing one of the kids. I don't have time for wine and white tablecloths."

Ranger was silent as the train continued to pass in front of them. "You still have to eat," he countered. "I'll bring a picnic basket and join you on your stakeout tonight."

"No. Thank you, but no," Steph said, opening the door of the Porsche. She quickly exited, closing the door behind her. Leaning in the window, she said, "I really do appreciate your wanting to help, but this is my job and I need to do it myself." Then she turned and ran down the side street, once again leaving Ranger staring after her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Steph pulled up in front of her best friend's house. Mary Lou and Lenny had moved into this home more than ten years ago. Their family had grown in the intervening years, and it showed by the number of bikes, balls and bats scattered around the yard.

There had been times Steph was envious of Mary Lou's wedded bliss, but those times were few and far between. What Steph saw was a harried and exhausted Mary Lou who rarely had a minute to herself, and a silent, brooding Lenny who worked too many hours, and when he was home he was parked in front of the television with a beer in his hand. It reminded her of her parents' marriage, and that wasn't what Steph wanted for herself. She wasn't exactly sure what she wanted, but she knew it wasn't that.

With a raspberry coffeecake and a six-pack in hand, Steph rang the doorbell. The woman that answered the door hardly bore any resemblance to the young girl Steph had become best friends with in grade school. Mary Lou looked far older than her mid-thirties, and she looked haggard and stressed. She had her youngest child, a blonde, blue-eyed girl, on her hip, and a damp washcloth in her other hand. The little girl's face was covered in mud and dried leaves.

"You're a life-saver," Mary Lou cried, thrusting her dirty-faced toddler into Steph's arms, and grabbing the beer and cake. She led the way through the toy-littered living room to the cluttered, messy kitchen. While Steph wiped off the little girl's dirty face and hands, Mary Lou popped open two beers and cut two big wedges of coffeecake. As they ate and drank, Mary Lou filled Steph in on the latest news of the Stankovic family while the toddler was settled on the kitchen floor playing with some pots and pans and a wooden spoon. Her little face was newly smeared with raspberry jam.

"Now that I've bored you with all the trials and tribulations of my kids' soccer games, report cards and trips to the ER, tell me about your exciting life so I can live vicariously through you," Mary Lou pleaded as she sat back in the kitchen chair, a second beer in hand.

Steph shook her head, questioning her friend's sanity if she thought her life was glamorous, especially lately. "Oh Mare, you don't want my life. It's a real mess. My scumbag of a cousin has been on my case night and day to bring in more fugitives. Just this past week, I couldn't track down a high bond skip, so I lost out on $15,000." She blew out a big puff of air. "I really needed that money. My apartment building is going condo. So now, I'm working overtime trying to bring in a bunch of low bond skips just to either earn the down payment or accumulate enough rent for a new apartment. I'm exhausted."

"That sucks," Mary Lou said. "But what about your love life? Or more to the point, your sex life? Please tell me you are finally letting that hot Cuban Batman have his wicked way with you."

Steph rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding? I haven't had time to eat or sleep, let alone indulge in _that_. Besides, getting involved with Ranger in that way wouldn't be fair to Joe."

Mary Lou's eyes widened. "Are you still seeing Joe?" she asked.

"I told you, I haven't had time to see anybody lately. But Joe and I always get back together. When my job settles down, we'll make up."

Mary Lou was looking anywhere but at Steph. "If you say so..." Mary Lou mumbled.

"What?" Steph challenged. "You know something?"

Mary Lou cut her eyes to Steph, trying to decide what to say. "When was the last time you and Joe were... together?"

Steph narrowed her eyes. She and Mary Lou were often candid in their discussions about sex, but Steph was not in the mood to talk about it today. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd had an orgasm, but she didn't want to admit it, not even to her best friend.

"Joe and I are... on a break," Steph confided.

"I think Joe thinks it's more than a break," Mary Lou responded.

Steph's heart began beating faster. "What makes you say that?"

"Do you remember Lila Suggs? She was a year ahead of us in school."

"Wasn't she a cheerleader? Cute, blond, skinny?" Steph asked. "I thought she married Vince Valparaiso. He was quite the catch. Football captain, Honor Society."

"Yeah. Vince joined the Army right out of high school and a few years ago, he was deployed to Afghanistan. He didn't make it back."

Steph shook her head. "That's awful. How's Lila doing?"

Mary hesitated and then continued. "Lila's now teaching pre-school. And dating Joe."

"Joe who?" Steph asked.

Mary Lou squinted at Steph. "Your Joe. But I don't think he considers himself yours anymore." She quickly sat back in her chair waiting for the explosion.

But Steph just sat there, a stunned expression on her face.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

After leaving Mary Lou's, Steph drove by Joe's house. He wasn't home, so Steph parked on the street, figuring to wait for him. They had never talked about dating each other exclusively, but they had an understanding. Steph had always just assumed they would end up together. She thought back to the last time she'd seen Joe. He'd made that ridiculous marriage proposal that had scared her silly. She wasn't ready for marriage. She just wanted things to go back the way they were.

Steph called him, but it went straight to voicemail. After the beep, she stammered, "It's Stephanie. Call me."

She waited a while, but Joe didn't come home, and he didn't return the call. That wasn't too surprising. Steph was certain he would call, eventually. Probably it would be better if she wasn't outside his house when he came home, but it would be nice to see him again. In the meantime, she had a stakeout to prepare for.

She fired up the engine on the as of yet unnamed car, and started home. The Mustang's transmission growled at her as she tried to slip into first gear. She already missed Betsy, but she was sure this car would grow on her. Dougie promised the car was roadworthy, even if it didn't look it. Sally, Steph decided. She'd baptize this little Mustang at the Speedy Wash and she'd call her Sally. With a slight improvement in her mood, she drove off ignoring the low transmission moans as she maneuvered through the gears.

When she got home, she started getting ready for her stakeout. A trip to the bathroom revealed she'd started her period. Great! She could be stuck in her car for hours at a time with no access to a bathroom. Sometimes being a woman was hell.

Joe didn't call while she was packing her messenger bag with cuffs, a freshly charged stun gun and a package of Tastykakes. He didn't call while she was hunched behind her wheel on Main Street in Hamilton Township. Could Mary Lou be right? Had Joe moved on? He'd said he was through, but he'd said that plenty of times before.

Why was she so upset? Was it because Joe was seeing someone else, or that he was no longer seeing her? Or... was it that if Joe was no longer in the picture, that she would have no excuse to hold Ranger at bay? But why was she holding Ranger at arms' length? Her head hit the steering wheel a few times, but it didn't clear her head.

Having someone like Ranger in her life made her feel... special. But anything more with Ranger scared the bejesus out of her. Why was that? A cold dread settled in her stomach. For the first time, she allowed herself to face her deepest fear.

The fact was, she didn't think she was good enough for Ranger! And if he actually spent enough time with her, he would see it, too. And then he'd be gone, out of her life. Fuck!

The feeling of dread spread throughout her body, numbing her. She sat in her car, unseeing, unthinking, for what seemed like an eternity. She didn't move until she saw the object of her search slink out from the corner of the house he shared with his grandma. She shook herself out of her lethargy and concentrated on her skip.

Homer Farris was pond scum. He'd forged his own grandma's name on checks he'd written to himself. Grandma Farris wouldn't have prosecuted except that her idiot, greedy grandson had practically bankrupted her and left her no choice. And then he didn't even have the decency to move out of her house. At the sight of Homer, Steph went into bounty-hunter supremo mode, a mode that was energized by the thought of her building going condo.

Later, after she had dropped her skip off at the Trenton PD she stopped in to see her old friend Eddie, who was working nights. Eddie never changed and that was one of the things Steph enjoyed the most. Eddie was dependable, and she knew exactly what their conversation would be before they had it. He'd try to guilt her into babysitting and she'd refuse. They'd share a little local Burg gossip and give each other a hug and promise to get together soon. And they do it all again the next time they saw one another.

As she walked down the hallway toward the exit, Joe fell into step beside her. "Hey, Cupcake," he said by way of a greeting. "I like the new hair. Short is cute on you." Steph waited but he didn't put his finger down the front of her stretchy t-shirt to sneak a look at what was underneath. He almost always did that, even when they were on an off phase.

"Sorry I didn't get you called back," Joe told her. "I got hijacked by the Chief and had to sit in a task force meeting most of the afternoon and evening. What did you need?"

Stephanie took a deep breath. "I hear you're dating Lila Suggs."

"It's Lila Valparaiso now," he said softly, "and yeah, I'm seeing her."

Stephanie saw him tense at the mention of Lila, and she proceeded carefully. "That's right. Mary Lou just told me today about her husband. It's so sad. I'm glad you are being a good friend to her."

"Yeah, it is sad about her husband, but that happened several years ago. And I'm not aiming to settle for friendship with her. It's getting serious between us. I'm glad you called, because I wanted you to know about us—Lila and me, I mean."

They'd reached the end of the hallway as they talked and Stephanie didn't stop. She hit the panic bar on the exit door, and they walked together through the parking lot where Stephanie had her Mustang parked in the Employee of the Month spot.

"I should ticket you for this," Joe said. She glanced up at him, relieved to see he was smiling.

"I know the employee of the month is Sarah, down in the evidence room," Stephanie said. "And I know she works days. It's the only reason I parked here." She was glad of the smile on Joe's face. It gave her courage.

"Why don't you come over tomorrow night," she said. "We could share a pizza and watch the game."

"I can't do that, Steph. Those days are over for us now."

"Because of Lila?" she asked.

He nodded and she turned away sharply so he wouldn't see the sudden spurt of tears, but he'd known her too long. He reached out a hand and ran it gently down her back.

"Lila wouldn't like it, and I don't imagine Ranger would be too fond of you and me spending time together, either."

"Ranger and I aren't together."

"Why not? Not because he doesn't want you, I'm sure."

Stephanie didn't answer. Joe looked at her for a long time and then he rocked back on his heels. "The son-of-a-bitch," he said softly. "He never wanted you. He only wanted me not to have you. He was using you, Cupcake, to get to me. I'm sorry for you."

She turned to him then, unmindful of the tears pooled in her eyes. She knew what he said wasn't true. She remembered the night after the hot dog stand explosion. She remembered the flowers and the black dress, the long standing offer of a dinner date, and the repeated phone calls. Ranger wanted her. And maybe he was ready for more than what they'd had in the past, but she didn't tell Joe any of that. How could she tell him that it was her fears keeping Ranger away? She could barely admit it to herself.

Joe's phone buzzed and he looked at the display. He frowned. "I've got to run, Steph. I'm sorry about you and Ranger, really. I think I'm on the way to a good place with Lila, and I'd hoped you were on the same path with Ranger. I'm sorry." He took a step backward and then turned and jogged back across the lot toward the building. He yanked the door open and disappeared inside the station.

Steph stood there for a full minute staring at the closed door. Somewhere, a car door slammed shut jarring her out of her trance, and she realized she'd been waiting for Joe to come back out. It took her another few moments to process what had just happened. She thought she should be crying or something, but there were no tears, no anger, just numbness.

She pulled her keys out of her bag and hit the remote start. Nothing happened and she looked behind her to see Sally. Remote start and heated seats had been Betsy, but she'd changed Betsy for Sally. Change was not a good thing.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Ranger looked at the letterhead. The law firm of Killigrew, Killigrew &amp; Foster, LLC was about to become Killigrew &amp; Foster. The old man was retiring and at his suggestion, Ranger was going to place the legal needs of RangeMan into the hands of Mia Foster, the firm's newest partner. He'd no doubt she was capable. He wanted her to leave their first meeting today with a similar idea regarding him, so he was looking at old contracts and new paperwork. He'd be ready for the afternoon meeting with his new attorney.

"Hey, Boss." Ranger shoved his papers aside to look at Tank who was presently filling the office doorway. He could tell by the expression on his No. 2 man's face. Something was wrong.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It may be nothing," Tank said, "but I just got a call from Lula."

"I thought you two weren't speaking?"

"We aren't, and I'd like to keep it that way. But this is about Stephanie. Lula can't find her and she's worried."

"Can't find her?"

"Yeah, it seems they went to talk to an informant today, trying to get some information on a sexual predator who's been hanging out at a grade school. That puts him seriously in violation of his bond."

Ranger nodded. He remembered Stephanie telling him the day before that she was going after a flasher.

"After they talked to someone who knew where the guy was staying, they went to stakeout his place. Lula had another appointment this afternoon, so she left Stephanie by herself. She was supposed to meet Lula back at the bonds office, but she didn't show."

"Did she try to call her?" Ranger asked.

"Yeah, she did, but it went to voicemail. So, she got in her car and drove to where Steph was staked out. The car is still there and Steph's purse and phone are on the front seat but there's no Ms. Plum."

"Have Connie or Vinnie heard from her?" Ranger asked.

"Lula didn't tell Connie or Vinnie. I guess Vinnie's been coming down hard on Stephanie. She's all he's got right now, and Lula didn't want Vinnie to come unglued if he found out Steph was missing."

At Tank's words, Ranger felt a short, sharp stab of guilt. He'd told Stephanie he'd have some of his men help Vinnie out. He didn't give a rat's ass about Vinnie, but helping Vinnie would help Stephanie. Stephanie. She needed to be found.

Ranger stood. "Call the law firm and reschedule my appointment with Ms. Foster," he said. "I'll see if I can locate Stephanie."

"You want company?" Tank asked.

"No, I'll go alone, but I'll call for backup if necessary so have a team on stand-by." Tank nodded and left the room. Ranger picked up his phone and accessed an app he didn't use very often.

Months ago when they were getting along a little better he'd given Stephanie a gift. Six new ponytail holders that each contained a tracking device. His heart fluttered irregularly as he remembered Stephanie's new haircut. After the hot dog stand fiasco she'd had to have quite a bit cut off, and she hadn't been wearing it pulled back in a ponytail.

He waited while the GPS found and scrolled to the correct map, and as he saw the small blinking light, he let out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding. Stephanie had a tracker in her car, at least there'd been one in her last car, and in her purse, but in this instance he was grateful he'd taken the precaution of giving her a personal tracker. His heart lifted a little at the thought she was still using the device.

He didn't know what he'd find. The blinking light was static in its location so she wasn't moving. It might be that she just moved her place of surveillance, or it might be she wasn't moving because she couldn't. He left his office and headed for the stairwell in a full-out run, ignoring the twinges of pain in his left leg.

The alley was empty except for one dumpster, near the far end. The tracker showed she was here, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out where. His heart was in his throat as he pulled up the lid and looked in. Partially buried under cardboard boxes and black garbage bags he could see the lower half of a woman's body. With a bound, he cleared the wall of the dumpster and landed on the slimy bottom, grimacing as pain radiated up his injured leg. Ignoring it, he crouched low and reached out to touch her.

"Babe." Her answering groan let loose a stream of endorphins that had him feeling temporarily euphoric. She was alive. He quickly cleared the trash off her. When she opened her eyes and met his concerned gaze, he could see she wasn't seriously hurt.

"Ranger?"

"Yeah. Are you hurt?"

She shook her head and then winced. "He tased me," Steph told him as he helped her sit up. "The bastard flashed me, and then he tased me. And, oh God!" she groaned again and put her hand to her head. "I don't know what he did after that." She looked at her surroundings and her eyes widened. "Are we in a dumpster?"

"The places I go for you, Babe," Ranger quipped.

Steph snorted. "Usually, I just have trash on me; now, I'm the trash."

Ranger grinned, relieved that she could still make jokes after her ordeal. Steph was still a little shaky, but Ranger helped her out of the dumpster and into his vehicle. She was quiet on the drive back to RangeMan, but she kept sneaking quick glances at him, as if she couldn't believe he was sitting next to her. Little by little, he coaxed her into telling him what had happened.

She'd found her man, but when she went to apprehend him he'd zapped her with a stun gun. She had a vague recollection of being thrown in a back seat and then ultimately in a dumpster.

"I'm glad you found me," she told him, her eyes lingering on him.

Ranger reached out and tugged on the short curly hair that framed her face. "I'm glad I found you, too. Where's the tracker?"

She pulled the end of her long-sleeved t-shirt up and gave him a half-smile. She was wearing the braided nylon hair accessory as a bracelet. "I've been wearing it this way since I got my hair cut," she told him. "My hair's still a little short for a decent ponytail, but I've gotten used to someone at RangeMan knowing where I am."

Someone at RangeMan. He realized she was unaware that he was the only one who had access to that particular tracker. He didn't tell her differently.

As the SUV pulled into the RangeMan garage he felt rather than saw her stiffen. "Ranger, I need to go home."

"You need to be cleared medically," he said. "I thought you'd rather have Bobby take care of that."

"I don't need any first aid," Steph said. "I'm fine, except that I smell like the inside of a dumpster. I need to go home and shower, and then go get that asshole. He's worth two thousand dollars to me."

"You need to be checked out and then you can take a shower," Ranger repeated patiently, his hand closing over hers. "You can do both here. I need to shower as well," he added, gently caressing her fingers. She swiveled to meet his gaze, and he saw for a moment a flame of desire darken her blue eyes. She wanted him. That was good.

"Come upstairs," he said. She nodded briefly and opened the door to the SUV, slipping to the pavement before he could come around to help her.

As they entered the apartment, Ranger called Tank. "Call Lula and tell her Steph's safe and found, and hold on…." Ranger reached out a hand to Stephanie. "What's your skip's name, Babe?"

"Danny Ziegler," she said.

Ranger spoke once again to a patiently waiting Tank. "Call Trenton PD and tell them Stephanie is going to make a statement to them. See if you can manage to get someone other than Morelli to come up. Ziegler is in violation of his bond, and he needs to be charged with assault on Steph." He disconnected and reached out to take Steph's hand.

They both needed to shower to rid themselves of the dumpster grime, and he thought they'd shower together. She knew he was good in the shower, and he'd make sure not to disappoint.

She pulled her hand out of his and turned toward him. "I'm not reporting this," she said. He saw the determined set of her mouth and let her continue without interruption. "I need the money. If the police find him and charge him with assault on me, I'll lose the bond."

"If he goes back to jail, Vinnie will be happy," Ranger told her.

"Screw Vinnie. Didn't you hear me, Ranger? I _need _the money." The tears came spontaneously, and she wiped them away with the back of a dirty hand. "My apartment is going condo and there is no way I can afford to stay there. If I don't get money ahead for a deposit on a new place, I'll be homeless!" She turned and fled through the apartment into his bedroom. He heard the door to the bathroom slam. She was upset, but he knew he could soothe her.

He quickly made his way after her. He'd seen the desire in her eyes, earlier. It had been a long time since they'd been intimate. He wasn't going to waste the opportunity. His hand closed around the doorknob and met an unfamiliar resistance. The door to his bathroom was locked. The lock was a brief obstacle to his entering the room, but it was also something else. It was a loud and resounding, "No." Stephanie didn't want him in the shower with her.

Ranger went into his dressing room and found clothes Ella kept for Steph. He set the neatly folded items on the bed and then picked up his phone. Bobby answered on the first ring. "Steph's in my shower," Ranger told him. "Come up and stay with her. She got banged up a little earlier in the day, but I think she's all right. Check her over—if she'll let you. When you're ready, bring her to my office. Don't let her leave without seeing me again." He walked out of his apartment and bypassed the elevator, opting for the stairs. The shower in the gym was utilitarian, but it would suffice.

He was behind his desk fifteen minutes later, damp but once again smelling like Bulgari instead of dumpster, when Stephanie walked in and flopped down in the chair opposite him. "Bobby says I can't leave until I talk to you," she said. Her lower lip was turned out in an adolescent pout, and still he found her appealing. He wanted nothing more than to take that lip between his own and…he stopped that line of thinking. With the mood Stephanie appeared to be in he'd need stitches if he tried that.

"C'mon, Ranger. I know where I can get Danny. I need to go. I'm not waiting for the cops."

"I told Tank to wait on the call to Trenton PD," Ranger told her as he got up and walked around the desk. "Babe, I know you need the money, but I have a solution." He pulled her out of the chair and let his hands slide around her waist. "Move in with me. We're good together and you know it."

"Are you serious?" she asked, her heart beginning to beat rapidly. "You want to share your space with me?"

"I think it's time we took that step."

Steph stared at him, trying to process this sudden change in the man she thought would never commit to any form of relationship, let alone one as serious as moving in together. "Where would that step lead?" she asked, doubt dripping from her words.

"I don't know," he said, running his hand through his hair. "It's a start. I don't know where, exactly, that we're headed. It depends on our wants and needs." He drew her closer and just for a moment she leaned into him. He could feel her heart beating double time. Then she pulled back. Tears were once again streaming down her face.

"Ranger, I... we…" she stopped speaking, her body was trembling, and he could see her struggle to find the right words. "I need to go," she said finally. "I really need to get Danny tonight."

Before he could respond there was a brief knock on his door followed by the intrusion of Lester's head and shoulders. "Hey, Boss, Tank wanted me to tell you he rescheduled with Ms. Foster. You are supposed to meet her downtown in an hour." Ranger and Lester exchanged looks and then Les was gone.

Ranger pulled Stephanie close to him and spoke softly. "I'll give you tonight to get Ziegler. But if you don't, you'll have to talk to the cops. This guy is dangerous and not just to you. Are you good with that?" She nodded.

Ranger crossed the room and looked to see Lester lounging in the doorway of the break room. "Santos," he called out.

"What do you need?" Lester looked over at him. "I'm off duty and I was just getting ready to go find some supper."

"Will you do me a favor?" Ranger asked. "Steph needs to be taken back to where her car is, and she needs help apprehending Danny Ziegler. Are you up for that?"

Vince and Hal were nearby and they both piped up, interest showing on their faces, "I'm up for that!"

Lester waved the two men off and replied, "A royal request to spend time with Beautiful? Sure thing. This Danny Ziegler, isn't he the sexual predator?"

"Yes, he is," Steph answered. She'd followed Ranger out of his office and was standing at his side. "And I would appreciate your help, Lester." She hooked her arm through Lester's proffered one, and Ranger watched as they walked down the hall and waited for the elevator. Steph was laughing out loud at some inane comment from Santos as the elevator door slid shut blocking his view of them.

So, it was just him. She was her normal self with everyone else. What had happened to change the chemistry of their relationship? Ranger realized at once that was the wrong question. The chemistry was still there. The longing was still there. He'd seen it in her eyes. The dependence was still there. He'd seen the hair accessory tracker on her arm, so he knew she still wanted him in her life. What the hell was going on in her brain? Unable to answer his own question, he picked up the files on his desk with a deep sigh and went to meet his new attorney.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

As he drove downtown, Ranger's thoughts turned to the professional side of his life. He had several new irons in the fire that would require his full attention. Plus, he needed to make a trip to D.C. soon to wrap up his government contract. After his last mission, he had made the decision to terminate his long-standing agreement to work black ops. It was time to leave that physically demanding work to the younger generation.

The expansion of RangeMan he had planned would more than fill the time he normally devoted to his government contract. The offices he'd opened in Atlanta, Boston and Miami, as well as Trenton, were doing extremely well, and the staff he had in place ran each operation like a well-oiled machine. He needed a new challenge.

And that challenge was the opening of two new RangeMan offices, one in Las Vegas, Nevada and one in Sedona, Arizona. Each of those cities had grown considerably in the last decade, especially with regard to the high-end personal, residential and commercial security needs, which was RangeMan's specialty. He intended to personally oversee the opening of RangeMan's newest offices, which would require spending weeks at a time away from the east coast.

In retrospect, the timing couldn't be more perfect. With his usual decisiveness, Ranger concluded that Stephanie needed some time to herself without any pressure from him. Tank had filled him in on the local gossip regarding Joe Morelli. The cop was keeping time with a military widow and it looked like it was getting serious between them.

He didn't know how Steph felt about Morelli's new girlfriend, but it had to be a blow to her ego, if nothing else. On top of that emotional roller coaster, she was struggling to make ends meet, and Vinnie was browbeating her about bringing in his bottom of the barrel fugitives. He would make sure, in his upcoming absence, that she had the help she needed to do her job, safely and quickly. She didn't need him adding any more stress to her life, and he could see that just the thought of moving in with him had increased her anxiety. Stephanie was one woman who didn't respond well to ultimatums or pressure. He'd give her the space she needed.

The bar and grill where he was to meet his new attorney was located on the ground floor of a high-rise apartment building. It was dark and cool in the tavern, and the low hum of voices barely rose above the background music. This was a classy place, several steps up from Ranger's usual haunt of Shorty's, but he fit in either venue seamlessly. This evening, he was dressed in businessman attire as was the rest of the bar crowd, though he always stood out no matter how he was dressed.

As he made his way through the people gathered in front of the bar, a slender arm rose up over the crowd and beckoned to him. He let his eyes scan down the rest of the body attached to that shapely arm and got his first glimpse of his new attorney. He wasn't disappointed.

Mia Foster was a stunning redhead. Her hair was short and curly, and her eyes were a deep midnight blue. She was tall and willowy with a shape that would make any man sit up and take notice. The beige wool suit she was wearing molded beautifully to all her curves, and she had curves in abundance. Her blouse could barely contain her overflowing bust. When their eyes met she smiled and to Ranger's surprise, he smiled back.

John Killigrew had opened his law firm decades ago and had built it into one of the most successful firms in the region. Killigrew, Killigrew &amp; Foster had been a natural choice for Ranger when he was establishing RangeMan, and the firm's president had personally handled all of Ranger's corporate and personal legal needs for years, but now he was retiring. He was turning his top accounts over to Mia Foster, who'd made partner several years earlier. Ranger had only dealt with the elder Killigrew, and this meeting was his first with his new attorney.

"Mr. Mañoso," Mia extended her right hand, still smiling at Ranger as she studied the man before her. They shook hands and Mia introduced herself. "I'm Mia Foster. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. i hope the change in meeting locations didn't inconvenience you."

"Thank you for agreeing to meet after regular hours. And please, call me Carlos. I imagine we will be spending a lot of time together in the near future. There is no need to stand on formality. John said he was leaving me in excellent hands and I would have to agree." He slowly released Mia's hand and realized he was still smiling.

Ranger recognized the look of appreciation in her eyes and had a moment's awareness that she might be seeing a similar look in his eyes. It wasn't arrogance that made him wonder if she was thinking about coming on to him. He knew women found him attractive, and usually he was careful not to lead them on.

She smiled at Ranger again and softened her voice. "John gave me strict instructions to treat you like royalty, Carlos. I'm looking forward to serving _all_ of your needs." Gesturing for Ranger to join her at the corner booth, she sat down and he slid in across from her. "And speaking of your needs, I have the contracts you requested. I do have some questions, though, about the terms and conditions you specified. We can do this here, or if you'd prefer some place quieter, my apartment is upstairs."

He thought he heard an oblique flirtation in her choice of words. Ranger rarely flirted with women and never in the course of business. Well, except when it came to Stephanie. There was something about Mia that reminded him of Stephanie. Maybe it was the curly hair or the blue eyes. Happy hour was in full swing at the bar and the decibel level of the room had increased noticeably in just the few minutes he'd been there. "Let's move upstairs," he said, raising his voice to be heard. "I have a few changes I'd like incorporated into the contracts. It would be easier to do this where we can have an uninterrupted conversation."

Mia smiled again and gathered up her briefcase, leading the way to the back door of the bar. Ranger followed, assessing his new attorney. Mia was young, vibrant and self-possessed, unlike her grouchy and ancient predecessor. She also had a much more shapely rear than old man Killigrew. He was going to enjoy working with Mia Foster. He grabbed the door and opened it for her, his hand lightly on the small of her back as they entered the lobby.

A short elevator ride later, Mia ushered Ranger into her apartment and set her briefcase on the coffee table. "Please, make yourself comfortable, Carlos," she said. Ranger moved a throw pillow and sat down on the end of the couch while Mia opened her case. She handed Ranger a file folder and said, "My questions are written on stickies. Look them over, and I'll get us something to drink."

An hour later, all Mia's contract questions had been answered, the new clauses Ranger wanted had been inserted into the document, and a second bottle of wine had been opened.

Mia gathered up all the papers from the coffee table and put them in her briefcase and placed the case on the table next to the front door. When she returned to the couch, she announced, "Finally, off the clock," and sat down very close to Ranger, one bare leg tucked up under her. She had removed her suit jacket, and the blouse she was wearing had a sheer quality about it, leaving her considerable assets on display.

"I'm impressed," Mia said, looking at Ranger over her wine glass as she took a sip. "You've managed to build quite a successful multi-state company in a short amount of time. And now you are expanding in two of the most lucrative markets in the Nation. I'd love to help you negotiate the deals for your new offices in Vegas and Sedona." She swirled the red liquid around in the goblet and cast her eyes down. "Before I joined Killgrew, I did quite a bit of real estate work on the west coast. I guarantee you, I could get you a smokin' hot deal."

Ranger sipped his wine and then set the glass on the coffee table in front of them. As he leaned back, his arm draped across the back of the couch. "I might take you up on that. My plans are to lease or buy existing buildings and retrofit them to my needs. We specialize in using state of the art equipment... and sometimes, experimental models. I will require total control of the buildings so I can insure they are 100% secure."

Mia laughed, a throaty laugh. "John alluded to the fact that you live and work in another world from the rest of us. A real mystery man. I find that fascinating," Mia gushed. "You have intimate access to some of the region's most powerful people, with hidden cameras watching them 24/7. You guard not only their property, but their bodies." She lowered her eyelashes and then glanced back up at Ranger. "I envy your clients."

Ranger was silent for a bit. "That's the security business," he replied. "Not unlike what you do from a legal standpoint. You are privy to people's most private secrets and you guard them through legal means. I guard them through physical means."

She let her gaze slowly trail down his well-formed body before looking back up. "You're a very physical man. I like that. I work in a verbal world where words have all the power. Sometimes..." Mia's fingers lightly caressed Ranger's arm. "...I miss the simplicity of being physical."

Her intent was obvious. Ranger pulled back a little and took a long and appraising look at her. Her business suit, while professional, showcased her extremely feminine figure, and she moved with a sensuality any man would be drawn to. Reluctantly, he admitted to himself that he was attracted to her, so it was with sincere disappointment that he told her, "Mia, I have a rule. I don't mix business and pleasure." He watched as her lower lip plumped into a glossy pout. Again, a little shock of disappointment flitted through him, followed quickly by a feeling of relief. It was nice to have a rule to reinforce his good intent.

"Well, _Mr. Mañoso_," Mia said in a husky contralto, "one of the first things I learned from John Killigrew…" Her voiced dropped into a whisper, "Some rules are meant to be broken." She leaned in and pressed her lips against his.

The kiss surprised Ranger. He expected to feel desire, though he wouldn't have acted on it. He'd learned from past experience that getting involved with a woman he worked with could have unwanted results. But when Mia kissed him, though one part of his body reacted, the rest of him was untouched. The urgent desire wasn't there, not like it was with... _her_. There was no desire to take it further. It was a new feeling for him.

Mia sat back, a puzzled look on her face. "Well, I guess you take your rules seriously. All right. No pleasure, only business...for now. But if you ever change your mind..."

Ranger stood up and buttoned his jacket. Mia rose also. "I won't," he said. "I appreciate your opening up your home to me so we could finalize the contracts tonight, but, in the future, let's hold our meetings either at your office or mine."

Mia nodded. "You're the client. Your wish is my command." She let a slow grin pull the corners of her mouth up. "John Killigrew _did_ say to treat you like royalty."

Ranger gave her one of his almost smiles. "I'm glad we understand each other. Good night, Mia."

"Good night, Carlos," she replied, opening her front door. "Until the next time," she murmured as he strode down the hall to the elevator.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Ranger set out for Washington D.C. early in the morning. It was time to sever his relationship with the unnamed agency that he'd worked for ever since he'd left the Army Rangers. He thought he might feel regret, but he didn't, not even a twinge. There might be times, in the future, that he would miss being in the field, miss the adrenaline rush, but he knew it was time to hang up the fatigues. He was a businessman now. His thrills would come from maximizing RangeMan's bottom line.

When Ranger arrived mid-morning at the federal building that housed the agency he had worked out of for the past decade he was whisked into a debriefing with several senior officials. Over a period of several hours, heavy pressure was applied for Ranger to re-up for another term, but he resisted and eventually was released. He spent the next hour in Human Resources being processed out.

By late afternoon, all papers had been signed and Ranger was free to go. He stopped at the small coffee shop on the first floor of the building to grab a bite to eat before heading back to Trenton. As he was drinking the last of his coffee, he felt a presence behind him, which startled him. He was sitting in a rear booth with his back to the wall, and no one should have been able to get that close to him without him knowing about it. The next instant, a woman, dressed in a short tight skirt and tailored blouse, slid into the bench seat immediately across from him.

She was slim, just a little over five feet tall, and had straight black hair cut short. Her eyes were a dark brown and slightly almond shaped. Her complexion was flawless, and she looked like she'd been laying out in the sun all summer. But Ranger knew for a fact that every square inch of her skin was that same golden brown hue.

"It's been a long time, Kefira," Ranger said warmly, gazing across the table at the strikingly exotic woman.

"Three years," she replied, letting her foot rub up against Ranger's leg under the table. Her accent was slight, but still detectable. "I've missed you, Carlos. You always brought a special magic to our missions." A slow grin spread across her face.

"Our missions together were... stimulating," he agreed, a hint of a smile forming. "Are you working in the States now?"

"I'm in D.C. to brief a team on some intel my government picked up. Are you coming or going?"

"Going. I'm definitely going," Ranger said.

"That's too bad. Coming is much better." The apparent innocence with which she said the words caused Ranger to bark out a laugh. Innocence was so completely contradictory to Kefira's nature.

"I can't argue that point," Ranger told her. "But the fact remains that I am leaving D.C. and won't be back in this building in any official capacity. I've resigned." The arching of delicate eyebrows over eyes that were as unreadable as his own was his only clue that his announcement had surprised her.

"What would cause this?" she asked. He wasn't sure if she was speculating on possible causes or was really asking him why.

"You're surprised I'm quitting?"

"I am. You're the best they have. There will be a big hole made by your departure, and they will have to scramble to find someone to replace you."

"Your words are flattering, but untrue," he told her. "This is a young man's business and I'm no longer young." He paused, fingering his coffee cup while he considered what to say next, but this was Kefira. She would understand. "I almost didn't make it out after my last mission, and that gave me cause to think."

She shrugged. "We have all had that experience. Thinking too much about it is a pointless exercise."

He hesitated. She wasn't asking for an explanation, but he found he wanted to give her one. "I have other things I want to accomplish in my life, and I need to start working on those things now. I'm surprised you're not thinking along the same lines. You've been in the game a long time."

"I have," she agreed. "Unfortunately, in my country the option to change the focus of a career is not always completely up to the individual."

Ranger frowned. "Are you saying you want out and can't get out?" Before she could answer the waitress came and attempted to refill Ranger's coffee cup. He waved her away. They were silent as the waitress continued her rounds to the nearby tables.

Ranger watched Kefira as she followed the waitress' movements. It was just a brief grimace, but he saw the suspicion cross her face. It was that natural wariness that had saved his life on more than one occasion. She'd been a worthy partner, and they had a strong working bond of trust. He'd miss the bond with her that remained, despite the passage of time. Kefira wasn't the only operative he'd worked with, with whom he'd had a complete symbiosis, but she was the loveliest. He waited for the pang of regret at what he'd done today to appear. It didn't come. He was truly done.

Kefira reached out her hand and held his for a moment. "I'm staying next door in one of the suites. Come up with me where we can talk, uninterrupted. If you are well and truly done," she said, echoing his thoughts, "we may not have the chance to converse again and there are things that remain to be said between us."

In the end, they didn't talk. Kefira had always been straightforward in her approach, so it was with some surprise that he realized she'd had no intention of talking. They had a past working relationship that had bordered on friendship, and part of that relationship had been physical. It was impossible to make it through the intense situations they had without some sort of release, and their release had been sexual and mutually beneficial. It was a cathartic release that had enabled them both to return to the more mundane parts of their separate lives. The sex had been the beginning and the end, with no thought of permanence from either one of them.

When the door to her suite swung closed behind him, he was unprepared for her advances. She'd entered the room ahead of him and without warning she stopped, swung around and leaned her body into him. One hand went to the back of his neck, her fingers running up to tangle in his hair. She urged his head down and stretched up to cover his mouth with hers.

He stiffened momentarily when he felt her other hand lightly run across his fly and caress him through the soft Italian wool of his slacks. He felt his almost immediate response to her deft touch and placed his hands on her shoulders in an effort to gain some control of the situation. He opened his mouth to protest her actions, and her tongue found its way past his lips, pushing boundaries that had been breached before.

His hands on her shoulders, which had been put there to help him gain control, now tightened in a grip that promised an entirely different type of control. There was no conscious thought. They'd done this so many times before that it was rote memory, both of them moving in a prescribed way, and both of them aching with a sudden intensity that needed to be assuaged. He backed her up against the bureau and let one hand slip from her shoulder to sweep clean the dresser top of all the cosmetic accoutrements she had displayed. He heard, remotely, the sound of tinkling glass as bottles hit the floor, but her hands were now under his shirt grazing his nipples into taut nubs that made his need for fulfillment ramp up the scale to undeniable.

He lifted her up and slid her back on the smooth polished surface. Her legs spread and wrapped around him. He felt his slacks slide from his hips simultaneously with the slide of a condom over his straining erection, and then her hands wrapped around his neck. Once again, she pulled his mouth to hers. He entered her quickly with a force he knew she'd welcome, and then he quit thinking entirely.

Later, as he let her rebutton his shirt, he became aware of a sweet scent rising, wrapping around him. It was intense and cloying and familiar. She must have become aware of it at the same time.

"Carlos," Kefira purred with a husky accented voice, "you were a bad, bad man. You broke all my perfume, but I forgive you." She still sat on the edge of the dresser, and her arms rested loosely on his shoulders. Their eyes met at equal level, and the satiated droop of her eyelids matched her relaxed smile. Her lips were swollen and Ranger knew he was responsible for that.

He breathed deeply and looked down at the tiled floor. Shards of glass were floating in the puddled amber liquid. The crystal topper was unbroken and caught the rays of late afternoon sunlight that filtered in from the partially closed drapes. The resultant prisms of light colored the pale wood of the dresser. He felt a hard fist in his gut and nausea threatened to overtake him. He tamped the churning of his stomach down, by force of will.

_Dolce Vita._ Stephanie's perfume. Kefira had Stephanie's perfume. He didn't speak as he stepped back and pulled his slacks up around his waist.

Kefira was staring at him with a knowing look in her eyes. "It was different this time," she said. And then with a note of sadness in her voice, "It's over, my _lyubov moya_, no? You_ are_ done."

Ranger nodded. "It is over, my friend. I can't look back." He leaned in and brushed his lips across hers. There was true affection in the smile he gave her. He knew she'd see the affection. He hoped she wouldn't see the regret. He picked up his jacket and left the room.

It was a long drive back to Trenton, and he was getting a later start than he'd anticipated. There would be traffic that would further lengthen his trip and that was good, because he needed time to think. He had to figure out if that tightening in his gut was guilt, and if it was, why would he feel guilt? Nothing had changed. She was still holding him at bay, still hoping for a reconciliation with the cop. How could he feel guilt?


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

After dropping off her latest FTA, chronic kleptomaniac Myrna Hopsteader, at the Trenton PD, Steph stopped by the bonds office to cash in her body receipt. To avoid Vinnie, she went in the back door, entering the main office from the storage room.

Connie was sitting down at her desk with Lula leaning against it, blocking Connie's view as Steph came into the room. They were talking in hushed tones, but Steph could still hear them.

"He went up to her apartment with her?" Lula asked. "I don't believe it!"

"That's what my cousin said. She said Ranger left with her just minutes after coming into the bar, and they snuck out the back door to the apartment elevators. According to my cousin, his hands were running all over her like hot syrup on pancakes."

Steph stood still at the mention of Ranger. _Ranger with a woman? _Steph's imagination went into hyperdrive. He'd just asked her to move in with him, and now he was with another woman? Had he just asked her because he felt sorry for her? Because she needed a place to stay? Like when he loaned her vehicles when she needed one? Like when he offered her jobs when she needed money? Omigod, it hadn't been an offer of a relationship; it hadn't been him making a commitment. She'd been right not to do it. She didn't want his pity.

Lula's head swept from one side to the other. "Shoot! I never heard of Ranger with a woman... besides Stephanie. I mean… that man is so fine and so sexy, of course, he must have women, but you just never hear about 'em. What did she look like?"

"She was drop-dead gorgeous, a real knock-out. Red hair, stacked, long legs. Did I mention that she was stacked? My cousin said she was dressed as a professional, and by that, I don't mean a professional ho, I mean a businesswoman. Real classy. She even carried a briefcase."

Steph gave a little gasp, and Lula swiveled around and saw her. She and Connie shot quick glances at each other and stopped talking, guilty looks on their faces.

"Hey, Steph," Connie gestured her over. "The coast's clear. Vinnie's already left for the day." Connie pretended to shuffle papers, and Lula moved around to the front of the desk.

Steph pulled herself together and waved her body receipt. "I got Myrna Hopsteader. Counting Danny Ziegler, that's two down, four to go."

"Make that five. I have another skip for you. Vinnie bailed out Simon Diggery, our favorite gravedigger. Drunk and disorderly. As usual, he missed his court hearing."

Steph took the new file from Connie and slipped it into her handbag, and then handed over the body receipt. As Connie counted out two one-hundred-dollar bills, Steph asked, as nonchalantly as she could manage, "So, Ranger's dating a long-legged, busty redhead?"

"I don't know if dating is the right word," Connie said. "But, he was seen in the company of a woman that fits that description. It could have been a client."

Lula snorted. "More like Ranger was the client," she mumbled.

"Shut up," Connie hissed. She glanced up at Steph. "Ranger's a businessman. I bet he has to meet with lots of different people, men and women."

Lula snorted again. "In a bar? At night? And leavin' with her out the back door? I know what kinda business they were doing."

Steph swallowed loudly. "Whatever they were doing, it's Ranger's business, not ours." Before she turned away, she told Connie, "Tell Vinnie I have a good lead on that high bond FTA, Jake Fuller. I think he's holed up with his old girlfriend. Lester said he'd help me bring him in, but he can't do it until the weekend." She rushed out of the room before Lula could insinuate anything else about what Ranger might be doing with _or to_ other women.

She slumped over the steering wheel of the Mustang. "Sally, what's happening to my life? First Joe, and now Ranger." She could feel her world slipping away, and in its place there was a void. Both of the men in her life seemed to have moved on. And she was standing still. And... standing alone. Her mind went blank and she sat in her car for a long time, not moving and not even really thinking.

Eventually, a shiver ran through her, sparking a jolt of energy. She turned the ignition on and heard it grind, but it didn't catch. "C'mon, Sally." She cranked it over again and relief flooded her face as the engine roared to life. "Ride, Sally, ride," she sang but without any enthusiasm, as the Mustang left the alley and merged with traffic on Hamilton.

She looked at the car's clock. All she really wanted to do was go home and bury herself under the covers, but that wasn't an option today. She had some time before she had to pick up her grandmother from the afternoon viewing at the funeral parlor, so she stopped by the pet store. While she had a few dollars in her pocket she figured she should lay in a food supply for Rex, so at least one of them would be able to eat in the hard times she knew were ahead of them, once she was kicked out of her apartment when it went condo.

Steph grabbed a five-pound bag of hamster kibble off the shelf and walked up to the cash register. The woman behind the counter looked up just as Steph plopped the bag down. "Stephanie Plum!" she cried. "I haven't seen you in ages."

"Barbara? Barbara Bonino. The last time I saw you was at my cousin's wedding. I didn't know you worked here."

"You knew I got married and had three kids?" Barbara queried as she rang up the purchase. Steph nodded. Barbara rolled her eyes and sighed. "Well, I guess my life took a page out of your book. I caught my husband in bed with my next door neighbor. Now, I'm working in a pet store to make ends meet."

Steph grunted. "I can identify with that," she said. "The last few weeks have been a real struggle for me, too."

"I heard. How are you doing?" Barbara asked with exaggerated concern and a sad face.

"What do you mean?" Steph frowned, as she handed money to Barbara. There were always rumors flying around the Burg, and she wondered what was currently being said about her.

Barbara dropped her eyes and squinched her mouth. "Um...well, you know. Joe...dumping you for another woman." She shrugged her shoulders and darted her eyes to Steph and away again.

Now it was Steph's turn to roll her eyes. "For your information, and that of everyone in the Burg, Joe did not dump me," she said. She winced inwardly as she made the next semi-true statement. "He asked me to marry him and I said no. And then we both moved on. Joe's free to date whoever he wants." Let the gossipmongers chew on that, Steph crowed silently.

Barbara's eyes widened. "Oh. So you and Joe really are no more?"

Steph knew that was the truth, but hadn't really processed it yet. Hearing it out loud hit her hard. A lump formed in her throat, and her next words cracked a little as she spoke. "That's right." She grabbed the bag in front of her and hurried toward the door.

"You're better off without a man," Barbara called after her. "They only break your heart."

As she walked out the door, Steph realized Joe wasn't to blame for her aching heart. It was her fear of change, fear of commitment, that stopped her from taking a chance, with either of the men in her life. Make that the men who _used_ to be in her life. She blew out a big puff of air and fought back tears. She had pushed both men away so many times, they had finally looked elsewhere and now, she was alone. And she only had herself to blame.

Steph pulled her car up in front of the funeral parlor as the afternoon viewers spilled out the front door and down the steps of the porch. Grandma Mazur was pushing her way through the crowd, shoving her large black patent leather purse in front of her, knocking people to the left and right as she surged ahead. Steph leaned across and opened the passenger door just as her grandmother reached the sidewalk.

"Step on it," Grandma Mazur shouted as she plopped herself down on the passenger seat, her purse clutched tightly to her chest. "C'mon, granddaughter. Lay some rubber and let's blow this pop stand."

Steph put the vehicle in drive and pulled away from the curb. "What's the hurry, Grandma?"

"I just want to get home in time to watch Wheel of Fortune. That Pat Sajack is some cute stud muffin," Grandma Mazur said. Then she looked back over her shoulder at the crowd still milling around on the sidewalk and smiled. Standing a little ways out from the crowd was a short elderly woman dressed all in black, who raised her bony fist and shook it in the direction of Steph's retreating vehicle.

Steph glanced in the rear view mirror and saw Grandma Bella, Joe's grandmother, shaking her fist in the air. She let out a sigh. "Did you and Bella Morelli have another fight?"

"Bella's an old fool," Grandma Mazur spat out as she patted the steel-gray curls that lay in rows across her pink scalp.

Steph took a second look at her grandmother. "Grandma, why is your dress wet? And why do you have cookie crumbs in your hair?"

"Oh, do I?" she asked, giving her head one last shake, which dislodged a cascade of crumbs from her permed hair.

Steph brushed some of the fallout off her t-shirt and fixed her grandmother with a stare. "What happened? What did you do to Bella?"

"That old hag deserves anything that comes her way. She thinks she's better than the rest of us, but she's just Sicilian trash. She and that swarthy brood of womanizers, wife beaters and alcoholics she calls a family. You're well rid of Joseph Morelli, the cheating scumbag."

Steph let another sigh. "What about Joe? And what does he have to do with your fight with Grandma Bella?"

Grandma Mazur wouldn't meet Steph's gaze.

"Grandma, tell me what happened today between you and Bella? And don't leave anything out."

Grandma Mazur rolled her dentures around in her mouth before answering. "That old witch was going on and on, bragging about that man whore of a grandson of hers, about how he dumped you for another woman. Then she started in on you saying you fooled around on Joseph, that you weren't good enough to wipe his ass. I couldn't stand it anymore..."

"Joe didn't dump me!" Steph cried, swerving the car through an intersection. "I dumped him. And me, not good enough for him. _Sheesh._ The one good thing about not marrying Joe is that I won't be related to that crazy old bat."

"That's what I said," Grandma Mazur agreed. "And then I dumped the pitcher of iced tea on her."

Steph grinned. "You didn't?"

Grandma Mazur cackled. "I sure did. You should have heard her screech. There was a lot of twittering and giggling going on in back of me. Everyone got a kick out of seeing that old fussbudget get her own after threatening to put the eye on so many of them."

"And how did you get cookie crumbs in your hair?"

Grandma grimaced. "When Bella got her wits about her, she grabbed the cookie tray and dumped it on me. That's when I hightailed it out of there."

"Thank you for defending me, Grandma, but you didn't need to do that."

"I'm always on your side, granddaughter. And any day I can make Bella shriek is a good day." She turned to Steph. "Don't tell your mother about Bella and me. She doesn't need the stress, and I don't need the grief."

Stephanie pulled the Mustang in behind her father's cab and then followed her grandmother into her parents' house, inhaling deeply as the delectable odor of fresh baked sugar cookies hit her nostrils.

She immediately relaxed, embracing the sameness that held her childhood home in a time warp. Nothing seemed to change here. Oh, there was the occasional new piece of furniture or appliance, but everything else stayed the same. Her dad was in the living room in his recliner, remote in hand pointed at the TV, just like he always was at this time of day. And her mom was in the kitchen cooking and baking so that dinner could be on the table promptly at six o'clock. Too bad the rest of her life wasn't this reassuringly unchanging, Steph mused.

The sweet smell of cookies drew her forward, and she rushed through the living room, dropping a quick kiss on her dad's forehead before she popped into the kitchen. "My timing's perfect," Steph announced, grabbing a still warm cookie from the baking sheet.

Her mother looked up from the pot she was stirring. "You're early, for once," Helen said. "Where's your grandmother?"

"She went upstairs," Steph said, evasively. "What's for dinner?"

"Roast chicken with mashed potatoes and peas. And I made a peach pie for dessert." She gestured toward the counter where a pie was cooling.

"With whipped cream?" Steph asked. When her mom nodded, Steph offered, "I'll set the table."

"Let your grandmother do that when she comes down. You can mash the potatoes." Helen set the bowl of steaming potatoes on the kitchen table, along with butter and a pint of milk. Steph sat down and picked up the masher, taking her frustration out on the spuds.

Helen leaned backward, to look up the stairs before saying, "This morning, she was talking about going sky diving, of all things." She sighed deeply. "Your grandmother is going to be the death of me yet."

Steph did an eye roll. Between her grandmother and herself, her mother would have been dead a thousand times over if the things they did could kill her. "Grandma just wants to make the most out of life. She even has a bucket list. I've been thinking about making one, too." Steph added butter, a splash of milk, salt and pepper to the half-mashed potatoes, then swiped her finger through the mixture, licking off the warm fluff.

"What do you need a bucket list for?" her mother exclaimed. "I would think your life is exciting enough as it is, with all the cars exploding, apartments being bombed, and getting shot at." Helen sighed again.

"My bucket list runs more to the mundane. Like being able to afford a new car or a secure apartment, ones that don't explode or get bombed. Maybe a nice quiet vacation laying on the beach."

"What about marriage? Is that on your bucket list?"

"_M-o-m_," Steph began, exasperation drawing out that one syllable word to at least three.

"You're right, Stephanie," Helen acknowledged. "It's time I back off on the marriage talk."

Steph looked over at her mother, her eyes wide and the start of a frown on her face. "Excuse me?" she exclaimed.

Helen pulled the pot of gravy off the burner, came over to the table and sat across from her daughter. "I thought you would be happier if you were married, but I've come to realize that married life isn't the answer for everyone," Helen confessed.

Steph's jaw dropped, a fleck of mashed potatoes clinging to her chin.

Helen reached across the table and wiped her daughter's chin. "It's all right if you don't get married. And if you need to move back home, that's all right, too."

A shudder ran through Steph at the thought of moving in with her parents and grandmother. She loved her family, but living with them, on a permanent basis, was not an option. She started mashing the potatoes with a vengeance.

"Your father and I already have four beautiful granddaughters, so, if you never have children, I won't complain." Her mother nodded, as if trying to convince herself. "You're not a failure, Stephanie."

Startled, Steph looked up at her mother. _A failure?_ Is that how others saw her? Steph sighed as she went over the last few years of her life. She was in her mid-thirties, not married, had no kids, and no money. She'd gone through a messy public divorce, lost her buyer's job, was working for her pervert of a cousin, had multiple cars destroyed, her apartment bombed and not just once, and now everyone thought Joe had dumped her.

"Is that the gossip? That I'm a failure, just because I'm not married or have a bunch of snot-nosed brats?" she asked, anger and frustration evident in her shaking voice.

"I'm not up on the latest gossip, Stephanie. It doesn't matter, in any case, what people say." That was her mother's attempt to be kind, Stephanie realized. Her mom couldn't have given her any better proof that she was once again the center of the Burg gossip mill.

"Nice try, Mom. What are they saying?"

"It's not so much about you," her mother said hesitantly. "It's more about Joe and his new friend."

"I think she's more than a friend," Stephanie said.

"Well, if Joe marries his new…friend, people don't need to assume that you never will get married. And if you don't, they don't need to assume that being single would be a bad thing." Helen stood abruptly. "Now, go call your grandmother down before the food gets cold."

Stephanie stood up, nearly knocking the kitchen chair over. "I've got to go."

"What about dinner?"

"I'm not hungry." She glanced over at the counter. "Well, maybe the pie." She looked questioningly at her mother, who nodded. Steph grabbed the pie and headed for the door. She stopped, turned on one foot and went back to wrap her mother in a tight hug. "I love you, Mom."

"Here," her mother said, as she took the can of whipped cream out of the refrigerator and tucked it in Steph's arm. Nothing says _I love you_ more than whipped cream on your piece of pie.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"What time should I be there?" Ranger asked, shifting the phone to his other ear as he juggled file folders on his desk and electronic folders on his computer. He was silent for a bit as he patiently listened to the person on the other end.

"Yes... I'll be there by 5... Te quiero también." [I love you too] He disconnected and returned his attention to the monitor in front of him.

There were two sharp raps on the door followed by a terse, "Enter" from Ranger. His second in command, Tank, sauntered in and parked himself in a chair in front of the desk.

"How's Mama Mañoso?" Tank inquired.

"My mother's fine." Ranger kept his attention focused on the computer screen.

"Are you going?"

Ranger cut his gaze to Tank, but didn't answer.

"She really wants you there," Tank informed him. "She's called me three times in the last week. If you don't go, I'll never hear the end of it. And I don't want your mama mad at me."

"I'm going," Ranger said, exhaling lightly.

Tank grinned. "Good. And take some flowers. Women love flowers."

There may have been an eye roll, but Tank was already out the door.

...

Ranger pulled up to his parents' house in Newark on Saturday precisely at 5:00 pm. He recognized the other vehicles that were parked on both sides of the street as those of his siblings. He was actually looking forward to this family gathering. It had been a while since he'd made an appearance at one.

When he reached the front door, he was besieged by a noisy throng of his younger nephews and nieces who grabbed onto his arms and legs. After picking up his youngest nephew, a diapered toddler who had just learned to walk, he let the children drag him into the house.

An older version of Ranger pulled himself up from the leather recliner positioned in front of the television. "Mijo, you are a sight for sore eyes," said the man. He was slightly taller than Ranger, and while it was hard to discern his age, his hair was graying at the temples and there was a noticeable jowl along his jawline.

Ranger carefully stepped over several children and gave his father a one-armed hug, still carrying the toddler in his other arm. "Feliz cumpleaños, Papa." [Happy Birthday, Father]

The older man smiled. "I hate celebrating another year older, but if it brings you home for a while, it's worth it. Here, let me take Carlito from you before you trip over this noisy brood underfoot."

"Ah, Papa, let me hold my namesake a little longer. I think I can avoid tripping on these rug rats."

"Your namesake," his father said. "You look very comfortable holding your nephew. Maybe someday you'll hold your own son in the same way."

"Maybe," Ranger said, not really agreeing or disagreeing. He knew Stephanie was ambivalent about motherhood, and he felt much the same about fatherhood. He looked closely at the child in his arms. He loved him the same way he loved all his nieces and nephews, and for now that was enough. Little Carlos was looking somber and he knew how to fix that. He swung the child up over his head, watching the little boy giggle and wriggle in his arms. The rest of the children went back to watching television.

"Better be careful, hermano. He's a deadly shot with drool," a feminine voice called out. A young woman with the same coloring as Ranger had entered the living room, drying her hands on a kitchen towel.

"I think I can dodge a little drool, Maria," Ranger said, straddling the child on his hip as he gave his sister a hug and a kiss. "Where is everyone?"

"The guys are out in the backyard showing the older kids how to _properly_ throw a football. Everyone else is in the kitchen."

"It smells great in here. Has Mama been cooking all day?" he asked.

"Of course. Nothing but the best for her one and only Carlos. She made all your favorites," Maria said.

"But it's Papa's birthday, not mine," Ranger protested, handing the wriggling toddler back to his mother.

Papa chimed in. "She cooks for me every day. It's not often that her baby boy comes home. Just enjoy it. Now, go say hello to your mother."

Ranger wended his way through his nieces and nephews and entered the kitchen. It was controlled chaos, with several women bustling around the small space, and every square inch of counter space filled with dishes and food. He took in the domestic sight, sniffing approvingly at the mingled aromas of spicy pork, onions and garlic, and caramel flan.

The women glanced up when he entered and any control went out the window. There were shrieks and screams, and then Ranger was overwhelmed by three of the women, hugging him and all talking at the same time. All three had long dark hair, brown eyes and mocha latte skin. They looked like feminine versions of Ranger, and it was easy to see they were all related. Ranger greeted each of his sisters with a hug and a kiss, and then leaned over to kiss the cheek of his sister-in-law, a petite blonde.

Slowly, the four women released him and pushed him forward until he was standing in front of a small, plump older woman. Her eyes were brimming with unshed tears, but she had a huge 200-watt smile plastered on her face. It was easy to see where Ranger got his smile. With extreme tenderness, Ranger enfolded the older woman in his arms, uttering a soft "Mama" into her thick dark hair.

It was a few moments before they parted, and then Mama lightly slapped Ranger's forearm, chiding, "It's been too long, mijo. You should come home more often. Your father misses you."

Ranger leaned down and kissed her cheek and then gave her another hug. "Yes, Mama," he acquiesed.

The other women had returned to their kitchen tasks, sneaking glances at the touching scene between their mother and their brother. There was one other person in the kitchen, but she'd been standing at the small counter next to the refrigerator, which was behind Ranger.

Ranger turned around, his eyes taking in the young woman as she diced tomatoes. She looked to be in her mid to late twenties, medium height and weight, and dressed in a simple cotton sundress. Her wide hips and full bosom filled out the dress well, and Ranger couldn't help but gaze appreciatively at the unexpected guest in his mother's kitchen. Their eyes met and he noticed hers were large and brown and framed by long black lashes. Her skin was a golden brown, several shades lighter than his own. She was an attractive woman, and Ranger was interested, in spite of himself.

Just then, Maria entered the kitchen sans toddler. As she took in the interested look in her brother's eyes, she smiled smugly to herself and said, "Carlos, you remember Allita Fonseca? She used to live down the street. We were best friends until high school when her parents moved to Miami."

Ranger stepped toward the young woman, his gaze sharpening as he took in all her features, trying to see the scrawny little girl that had been his youngest sister's best friend. "Allita," he said, as if savoring the sound. "It's nice to see you again," extending his hand to her.

Allita smiled shyly and stuck out her right hand until she realized she still held a knife. Ranger lifted an eyebrow, and a soft blush crept up her neck and onto her cheeks. She hurriedly placed the knife on the cutting board and then accepted Ranger's handshake. "Hello, Carlos. I'm surprised you remember me. It was a long time ago."

Maria jumped back into the conversation and did the introductions. "Well, hopefully, we've all changed since then. Allita, Carlos spent a few years at Rutgers, then served our country proudly as an Army Ranger. He now owns a very successful security business. And Carlos, Allita moved back to Newark after getting a teaching degree and now she teaches sixth grade at the same school we all went to. Small world, huh?"

The rest of the women were conspicuously silent as the introductions were made, each woman covertly watching the lone man in the room for his reaction. While their brother kept his expression neutral, they could see interest in his eyes and in his body language, and they couldn't help giving each other furtive grins.

"You're a brave woman to tackle teaching middle school," Ranger said, leaning against the refrigerator and stealing a piece of tomato from her cutting board. She smiled at his forwardness, as did his sisters. He swallowed before speaking again. "I know I was a handful at that age, and I'm grateful to my teachers that they put up with me."

"I enjoy the challenge," Allita responded. "And as I remember, you were one of the bad boys, but too charming to stay mad at for long."

Mama Mañoso snorted at that description of her son, and his sisters chimed in with hoots and hollers, indicating they thought their brother had been anything but charming.

The back door swung open and the kitchen was flooded with teenagers and grown men. The decibel level soared through the roof as the newcomers flocked around Ranger, welcoming him with hugs and manly slaps on the back. Ranger greeted the rest of his family, including his older brother and four brothers-in-law, in the now extremely crowded kitchen.

All activity and noise was brought to a sudden halt by a sharp blasting whistle, and the crowd turned to stare at Mama Mañoso. She took her fingers from her mouth and ordered, "Dinner will be on the table in five minutes. Go wash up and be seated if you expect to eat anything I've cooked." There was a flurry of movement as most of the family left the kitchen.

Dinner was a noisy affair, as plate after plate was passed around and everyone helped themselves to the traditional Cuban dishes. It was impossible to carry on much of a conversation as everyone talked at once, parents yelled at children, and children giggled and screamed at each other.

Ranger was quiet through it all, taking in his family dynamics and the resultant chaos. His mother had been right; he didn't come home very often. While he enjoyed his large family gatherings, he could only take them occasionally. He knew his four sisters and their families, and even his brother came to his parents' house nearly every Sunday for a big family dinner. It was tradition. One he had chosen to forego when he'd left home as a teenager.

In recent years, since he'd moved back to Jersey, he'd made it a point to visit each of his family members separately throughout the year. He loved his siblings and relished getting to know them as adults, and he loved all their children-in small doses.

Years ago, he'd gone through the self-evaluation phase of why he couldn't slip into the comfortable rhythm and routine of his family's lifestyle. He knew it wasn't for him. But he had to admit that he admired what his parents had, and even what his siblings had with their respective spouses. He smiled to himself as he observed each couple's interaction with each other. Even when they were arguing, there was a close comfortableness and underlying deep affection. If he could have what his parents had... He was brought out of his reverie as Allita handed him a platter full of empanadas.

If he'd had any doubts about the reason Allita had been invited to this family celebration, they were gone the moment his mother seated her next to him at the adults' table. The noise and the bustle was something Ranger enjoyed to a point. He leaned his head close to Allita and asked her, "How are you holding up? The dinner conversation at the Mañoso table takes some getting used to."

She smiled at him. "This is sedate in comparison with my family." Ranger raised an eyebrow in contemplation of that fact. "Unfortunately for me, my family is all in Miami," she continued, "so I don't often get to share in the melee. I miss it."

"You're close to your family then?" Ranger asked. He realized their conversation was being noticed by his sisters who were exchanging not so covert glances among themselves, but he felt an obligation to put their guest at ease. That was his only motive, even if his sisters read something else into his behavior.

"Yes, and I miss them," Allita said. "Fortunately, your mother has made an open invitation. When I get homesick I come here, and it works. Your family eases my ache for my own sometimes."

Ranger smiled at her. "I'm surprised you're in Newark then. I'm sure there were teaching jobs in Miami."

"There were," Allita said with a serious tone to her voice. "But in Miami it was hard to be my own person. My mother tends to forget I'm an adult and can make my own decisions."

"So, our families, and our mothers in particular, do have similarities." He could see she understood his point, and her answering smile was wide turning her pretty face into a beautiful one.

"I needed the distance to establish my own life," Allita said. "I know it sounds trite, but I needed some space."

"It doesn't sound trite at all," Ranger said. "I understand your need and share it, to some extent." They exchanged glances of commiseration.

Ranger assessed Allita as an intelligent, thoughtful woman, and she was definitely attractive. But as attractive as she was, he wouldn't pursue her.

He knew if he got involved with her, it would mean settling down in a house near his parents and having a slew of children. She was very much like his sisters, comfortable with her family-oriented Cuban heritage. Even though she'd said she wanted independence from her family, she'd made it clear she still desired that close family connection. If they got together, their lives would be regulated by church and family. He shuddered inwardly at the thought of attending church every Sunday, and then joining the rest of his siblings at their parents' house for dinner. It suited his siblings, but it made his skin crawl when he seriously contemplated the monotonous routine of it.

By the time his father's birthday cake made its appearance, he was more than ready to leave. He stayed as long as he could stand it, but took his leave right after his father opened his last birthday gift.

His brother, Miguel, walked with him to his car. "Still driving last year's model I see," he chided Ranger as they neared the Porsche.

"I am, and happily," Ranger said. "I hear you're driving this year's model."

Miguel snorted. "Yeah, but I'd trade my new mini-van for your year-old Porsche any day."

"Porsche makes an SUV."

"Yep, they do, and I know you own one, Bro. I considered buying one when we traded our old van in, but…well, hell, you might as well be the first to know."

Ranger looked at his brother, and a slow smile spread across his face in anticipation of the news he was going to hear.

"You're going to be an uncle again, Carlos. Jocelyn had her pregnancy confirmed yesterday morning."

"Congratulations, to both of you." Ranger said. He clasped his hand on his brother's shoulder and gave him a slight shake, genuinely happy for him.

Miguel grinned and ran a hand through his hair. "Thanks. This one wasn't planned, but I have to admit, I'm looking forward to the possibility of having a girl this time. A Porsche SUV is a small sacrifice I'll make, since I'm going to be starting another college fund soon."

"There's a cure for that," Ranger said in jest.

"Don't I know it," his brother replied. "Jocelyn and I are gonna talk about it after this one. I love my family, but four will be enough." Now it was Miguel who settled his hand on Ranger's shoulder. "Time for you to start doing your share to insure the propagation of the Mañoso line."

Ranger barked out a laugh. "You want me to join in the mini-van brigade? Not happening."

"Mama wants it. She's trying to help you along." Miguel tilted his head obliquely toward the house.

"Allita is a nice, attractive woman," Ranger said. "But_ if_ I decide to retire the Turbo and start driving the Cayenne, and that's a big _if_, I'll do my own choosing. And I think Mama isn't the only one trying…"

"I just want you to know the joy of having your own family." Miguel's grin was wide and Ranger returned it.

"You're full of it, Miguel." The brothers hugged, and Miguel turned to go back inside with a small half-wave of dismissal.

As he slipped behind the wheel of his Porsche, Ranger let out a deep sigh, and headed back to his world. As he replayed the evening in his mind, something Tank had said earlier popped into his thoughts. Tank had suggested he bring flowers, alluding that they were for his mother. But, in looking back over the evening's events, he was sure if he'd brought a bouquet into the house, the women in his family would make sure the flowers would be given to Allita Fonseca, a signal that he was ready to court her. He made a mental note to find a way to get back at Tank for his interfering ways.

In a spur of the moment decision, instead of exiting the highway at Trenton, he kept going. Stephanie would say he was in his zone, and she would have been right. He felt the need to let the Porsche run, to climb the hills and navigate the curves of a backwoods road, and to banish any lingering thoughts of his hands on the steering wheel of a mini-van. He took a time-out for himself as a conduit from his family persona back to his more solitary existence. He had no destination in mind, but drove until he felt the tension that had built up in his muscles slowly release. He turned the car and began his trip home.

Before he returned to his penthouse apartment, he made one last stop. It was late, after midnight, and he knew she would be asleep. But he let himself into her dark apartment and made his way to the bedroom. With only the light from the parking lot showing through the slit in the bedroom curtains, he could see her sleeping form stretched out on her bed. She always took up twice as much room when she slept, except when he was in bed with her. Then she plastered herself to his body, even when she was sound asleep. He didn't mind. He rarely slept with a woman. Had sex with, yes, but actually slept with, no. In fact, Stephanie had been the only woman in years that he'd actually slept all night with, whether they had sex or not.

He wanted nothing more than to crawl in bed with her right now, but he knew that wasn't a good idea. She was still holding him at arm's length, and he was determined to give her the space she seemed to need. He sank into the chair that was tucked in the corner of the room and listened to the soft sounds of her breathing. The rest of the tension in his body left him. Someday... soon.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

The sweltering heat hit him as he stepped outside the airport terminal. His penchant for black clothing would not serve him well in this climate and he was thankful for the white cotton shirt he was wearing. The lightweight beige linen slacks and jacket weren't his normal attire but suited his needs for this trip.

The heat was different than what he experienced in Trenton or even Miami — this was dry, eyeball-scorching heat. It reminded him of his days in Iraq, days he'd prefer to forget, when his business had been war, subterfuge and death. But this was Las Vegas, the city of sin, sun and sex. The city had a completely different feel about it, one not demanding AK-47s and grenades. But he was still all business, though his business no longer involved death. He would not be spending any time partaking of the many nightclubs or gaming tables Vegas had to offer.

Mia had made all the arrangements for this trip and had found the realtor who would be showing them potential properties for the new Las Vegas RangeMan office. The realtor was also to pick them up at the airport.

A white Cadillac was waiting at the curb, and as soon as Ranger stepped outside the terminal, an older man with a shock of white hair exited the vehicle and came around to the sidewalk to greet him. "Mr. Mañoso?" the man inquired. Ranger nodded. "Jack de Gaulle. It's a pleasure," Jack said, extending his hand. Ranger followed with a quick firm handshake. Jack continued, grinning widely, "Is it hot enough for you?" He was dressed in a white suit layered over a pink shirt, and he wore a large gold chain around his neck and a Rolex watch on his left wrist.

When there was no reaction from Ranger, Jack smoothly moved on. "Is Miss Foster with you?

"She'll be out shortly," Ranger said, grabbing his carry-on bag and moving toward the rear of the Cadillac. Jack followed and opened the trunk. The terminal door whooshed open at the same time, and Mia came out rolling her luggage behind her. She was dressed in a white silk blouse and tight black pencil skirt belted with a red sash. Red heels and bright red lipstick completed the look. Every man in the immediate vicinity turned to stare at her.

Jack's eyes lit up as he rushed to her side. "Well, well. My day is certainly looking up. I'm Jack de Gaulle. And you must be the lovely Mia Foster."

"Yes. Thank you for picking us up, Jack." Mia and Jack shook hands, and Jack kept one hand on the small of her back and one hand on her luggage as he led her to the Cadillac. She adroitly stepped aside and away from Jack and continued, "Mr. Mañoso is on a tight schedule so I am expecting you to have several properties for us to look at this afternoon."

"Of course," Jack said as he loaded her bag into the trunk. "We can drive straight to the first property rather than go to the hotel. Based on the specifications you provided, I think you will find the perfect office space in one of the buildings I have to show you."

The rest of the day was spent looking at potential commercial buildings. It was nearly dark by the time Jack dropped off Mia and Ranger at the Mandarin Oriental, one of the few luxury hotels in Vegas without a casino. That had been one of Ranger's prerequisites. They arranged a time for Jack to pick them up the next morning to continue looking at properties.

Upon checking into the hotel, the clerk gave them key cards for a deluxe suite. Ranger immediately handed the cards back and said, "Change the suite to two of your deluxe rooms."

Smiling seductively, Mia stepped forward and put her hand on his, purring, "But, Carlos..."

Ranger turned to her and when their eyes met, there was something in his expression that made Mia immediately cast her eyes down and she stopped speaking. He handed her the card to her room, pocketed his and gestured toward the elevators. Before they parted for their separate rooms, Ranger instructed, "I'll meet you in the Tapas Bar in a half hour to discuss the properties we saw today. It will give you time to make any changes that might be required to our accommodations in Sedona."

Mia nodded; message clearly received. Ranger was true to his word. He didn't mix business with pleasure.

Two days later, Ranger and Mia boarded a charter jet in Henderson, Nevada bound for Sedona, Arizona. The flight was brief and when they landed on the red rock mesa where the local airport was located, they were met by the Sedona realtor Mia had selected.

Shelby Dixon was in her mid-forties, medium height, a little dumpy, with short, straight dishwater blonde hair. She was dressed in a sky blue pants suit and wore a pair of sensible white flats. She'd moved to Sedona five years ago after a successful career as a stockbroker in New York City. Selling homes in the laid back town of Sedona was an extremely lucrative career as the small but upscale town had some of the most expensive real estate in the country. Shelby Dixon was one happy camper.

Shelby met Ranger and Mia as soon as the small jet landed and the passengers had arrived in the small building that served as an airport terminal. Among the half dozen passengers debarking from the jet, Ranger and Mia were easy to pick out as the other people were all over sixty years old. Sedona had more than its share of rich old white people with too much money to spend, which is what made the town a good prospect for Ranger's security business. It was a warm summer day, but a bearable one, nothing like the oppressive heat of Vegas.

"Welcome to Sedona. I'm Shelby Dixon," she said, a wide smile on her face as she approached the couple. They were an attractive pair, the young redheaded woman in a figure-flattering pair of slacks and a tailored blouse, the dark-skinned man in an ivory shirt and pair of tan slacks that did nothing to hide his well-formed physique. Shelby tried unsuccessfully to keep her eyes from undressing her male client. She couldn't remember when she had last seen such an attractive hunky man.

Mia stepped forward and shook hands with Shelby, giving her a safer person to focus her attention on. "I'm Mia Foster. It's nice to finally meet you after all of our phone conversations. This is Carlos Mañoso..."

Shelby held on to Ranger's hand just a bit longer than she should have and was conscious of him pulling away. There was something about the way he looked at her that told her she should deal with Mia directly, which was a bit disappointing, but also a relief. Carlos Mañoso was one intense man.

She led the way out to the parking lot and her brand new silver M-Class Mercedes SUV. It was the perfect vehicle for Sedona, as many of the homes she showed were up narrow dirt roads that became quite slick when wet. However, today she would be showing commercial properties in town, so 4WD would not be necessary. With the luggage loaded, Shelby drove the pair toward town.

"As I understand," she began, "you would like an office building located in town, but there are several back-to-back towns in this area. There is old Sedona, West Sedona and the Village of Oak Creek. Do you have a preference?"

"Take us through each of the towns and then show us some of the larger affluent neighborhoods," Ranger instructed. "I'll want the office in closest proximity to the largest pool of potential clients."

"All right," Shelby responded. "We'll start in West Sedona and make our way south to the Village of Oak Creek. On the way, we can stop at several of the properties I've researched for you."

Mia kept swiveling around in the back seat staring out the windows as they drove down the hill toward town. Beside herself, she exclaimed, "The red rocks here are simply amazing. I've never seen anything so beautiful. Any direction you look, you see gorgeous views." She leaned forward between the two front seats and grabbed Ranger's shoulder, her lips nearly touching his ear. "Carlos, please tell me you'll need a full-time lawyer to manage the legal needs for your western offices. I'll gladly volunteer."

"It is nice country," Ranger conceded. "These million dollar views equate to big bucks, big homes, and a high need for my security services. As to a need for your legal services, Trenton will remain the main office for RangeMan."

"Well, if you ever need me to travel, I am more than willingly to do so." She sat back in her seat, but continued to gawk at the stunning scenery.

The rest of the day was spent detouring into some of the ritzier neighborhoods that branched off the one main road that connected the various parts of Sedona. Shelby could see her client's assessing gaze as he studied the luxurious mansions that dotted the scenic hillsides around Sedona and calculated the potential value of installing and monitoring high-end security systems.

After Shelby had maneuvered through the sixth traffic circle that was so common in Sedona, Mia commented, "What's with all the roundabouts? Why not just have traffic signals?"

Shelby sighed. "I know. I hate them. I think they are ten times more dangerous than stoplights. And you can't avoid them. This is the only way through town. And this weekend, it will get even worse when all the tourists descend on Sedona."

At the end of a long day, Shelby dropped Ranger and Mia off at the Amara Resort and Spa, a five star hotel in the heart of old Sedona. The resort overlooked Oak Creek, one of the few natural streams in Arizona that had running water all year round. It made for a scenic view and offered pleasant sounds and smells as it bubbled and gurgled over the red rocks and through green leafy oaks and cottonwoods.

As they checked into their rooms — two separate rooms — they agreed to meet for dinner at the resort's restaurant. Over dinner, while Ranger kept the discussion to business related topics, Mia pushed for some social time, but her efforts to get Ranger to accompany her out to sample Sedona's nightlife failed, just as they had in Vegas. When Ranger retired to his room, Mia stayed up and joined the hosted wine hour with several other resort guests.

It was still too early to turn in and Ranger was antsy. During the day, he kept his mind occupied on business. But at night, alone in his hotel room, his mind kept drifting to thoughts of a certain blue-eyed, curly-haired woman, and it wasn't Mia, though Ranger was finding it harder than he'd anticipated to ignore her obvious attractions. Mia was undeniably a beautiful woman with a body that didn't quit, and a mind that was quick and sharp. Plus, she made it clear she was available and willing. Neither of them was in committed relationship, but Ranger was adamant not to mix business with pleasure.

He'd done that with Stephanie and it had altered the way he treated her, sometimes to the detriment of his bottom line, but he didn't regret spending any of the money Stephanie had cost him over the years. He'd always had a soft spot for her, admiring her tenacity and determination, and she did make him laugh. She was unpredictable in a predictable way. He always knew she would find trouble, he just never knew when it would come or in what direction. He'd never been much of a rescuer, but something about Stephanie brought that out in him. He wanted to protect her, and help her improve her skills at the difficult job she'd chosen for herself, but she wasn't much on exercising or training. So he did what he could, what she would allow him to.

As the years went by, she had become increasingly important to him, and he could no longer deny his growing feelings for her. She made him want more from his life, more than just owning a successful business. So much so that he was comparing every women he met to her, and as attractive, as successful, as suitable as some of them were, none of them stacked up. There was just a chemistry between them that defied logic. As his Grandmother Rosa would say, "El corazón quiere lo que quiere." The heart wants what it wants.

He knew Stephanie had strong feelings for him. He was still puzzling over her refusal to go on a simple date with him. He knew she knew that Morelli was dating someone else, so he didn't think it was a feeling of guilt that was stopping her, not anymore. There was something else, but damned if he could figure out the enigma that was Stephanie Plum. When he returned home, he would have to step up his game and somehow, get her to open up about what was bothering her. Neither of them were very good at talking about their feelings, but if that's what it took, he would bite the bullet. Getting Steph to bite the same bullet might not be that easy, though.

He felt like he'd been stagnating, riding in planes and cars for several days, so he donned some gym shorts and a t-shirt and went down to the resort's fitness center to work out. After a couple of hours on the treadmill and doing reps with the weights, he was sweaty and hot and stopped by the infinity pool that overlooked the creek. He pulled his t-shirt over his head, stepped out of his trainers and dove in. He continued the momentum by doing laps.

It wasn't long before he realized he wasn't the only one in the pool. Mia had slipped into the deep end, and she was wearing a skimpy bikini that left very little to the imagination. He was again made aware of her considerable assets. He steeled himself to turn her down, again, but was surprised when another man dove into the pool and swam straight for Mia. She laughed as the newcomer popped up in front of her.

"I'm glad you decided to join me for a late night swim," Mia cooed. "Isn't this the perfect setting?"

"Only one thing could make it more perfect," the man uttered, swimming closer to Mia.

Ranger took that as his cue to leave, grateful that Mia had turned her attentions to someone else.

The next morning, Ranger and Mia joined Shelby for a marathon session of touring vacant office buildings. Ranger had decided the best location was in the eastern end of West Sedona. That would provide the shortest response time for the most clients. By lunchtime, Ranger had chosen a three-story building located just off the main drag. It was a new building and was on a quiet dead-end street. It wasn't as large as his other offices, but he didn't think he would need as much space, given the relatively small population of Sedona. Shelby arranged a meeting with the owner later in the afternoon. In the interim, Ranger and Mia prepared the contract terms and the building modifications he would need.

They met with the owner on site and presented their requirements. Mia was a tough negotiator, and Ranger was impressed with the lease arrangements she negotiated. He'd also been impressed with her abilities to hammer out a favorable deal for the purchase of a ten-story building in Vegas. This trip had been a success, and Ranger was ready to return to Trenton.

He had been pleased to see Mia finally take his dictum seriously. It was clear to him why the RangeMan account had been turned over to her. As long as she understood the parameters of their association, he'd be glad to have her on his team. Ranger turned from his position in the passenger seat to talk to Mia, who was ensconced in the middle of the back seat. He smiled as he noted the long legs stretched across the seat, minus the pumps she'd been wearing for the meeting. She was an interesting woman, half seductress and half hard-nosed negotiator.

"You did a great job, Mia. I'm glad you were here. I think RangeMan benefitted from your presence."

"Thanks, Ranger…_uhm_, if I may call you that." He nodded and she continued. "I think RangeMan benefited from my presence here, too." She sighed heavily. "I'm playing by the rules, but I have to tell you more than just the corporation could have benefitted from my presence on this trip." He wanted to smile, but just lifted an eyebrow in consideration of what she'd said. He heard a snort from the driver's seat and was reminded they had an audience.

It was rush hour and they were on their way back to the resort. Shelby had just entered one of the innumerable traffic circles. Ranger felt his body lean into the door as she expertly maneuvered the circle. It shouldn't have happened, but a tourist driving a Cadillac got flustered and did not yield to oncoming traffic and plowed into Shelby's SUV. The heavy Caddie hit the passenger side and the SUV crumpled inward, trapping Ranger's right leg beneath the metal door.

Shelby and Mia were shaken up but not injured. Mia had the presence of mind to immediately call 911. Shelby was sobbing and mumbling under her breath. When she finally realized Ranger was injured she at once reached out and grabbed his arm. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." She tried ineffectively to pull him more upright in his seat. "We've got to get out of here. The SUV is on fire." She began to panic.

The SUV was not on fire. The powder from the deployed airbags was sifting through the air, and Ranger conceded it did look like smoke. He leaned his head back and glanced at Mia. She was sitting with her cell phone to her ear, presumably still on the line with 911. "Get her out of here," he said and Mia took his meaning at once.

She scooted across the seat and climbed out of the driver's side back door. She opened Shelby's door and said, "Come on, Shelby. We need to see if the other car has injured people." The women exited the vehicle, and Ranger attempted to wrench his leg free, but only managed to send a searing pain up his leg. He was truly trapped. Blood was slowly staining his pants, but the amount was small so he wasn't too concerned. He settled in to wait for the firemen and their jaws of life, which he knew would be necessary to extricate him.

His leg was on fire and he tried to occupy his mind with anything but the thought of his possible injury. He looked at Mia who was outside the vehicle doing a creditable job of organizing the accident scene. He forgave her for her overt attempts at seduction. She was a good addition to the RangeMan team.

It took an hour for the firemen to free Ranger. The paramedics were adamant he go to the hospital, and for once, Ranger didn't protest. X-rays showed there were no broken bones, but the leg muscles had sustained serious damage. Ranger would be incapacitated for several weeks.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Take a Chance. The words were written in bold script across the top of the ticket. She'd completely forgotten about the scratch-off lottery ticket Ranger had given to her, back when he was pressing her for a date, when he'd given her flowers and a note that said, "Take a chance on us." Yeah, like that was ever going to happen from Mr. No Relationship, Mr. My Love Comes With A Condom, Not A Ring.

That was being unfair to Ranger, she mused, but she was in a really bad mood. The last few days of work had been hellish, even to the point of her considering chucking it all and taking a job at the tampon factory. She knew she'd get over it, but right now, today, her life sucked. And on top of it, she was feeling lonely and alone. Lester had told her that Ranger was out of town, and she missed him. Yeah, she'd been avoiding him, too scared of her own feelings and insecurities to be around him, but she missed him, nonetheless. And she still didn't have enough money to rent a new apartment.

She tossed the ticket in the trash as she made her way around the dining room. She had to start cleaning and packing, because before too long she would be homeless. At least her things would have a home in plastic tubs stored in her parents' garage. This was the time to be ruthless and get rid of all the clothes she no longer wore, and the general junk that cluttered her life.

She attacked the pile of unopened mail stacked high on the table. Most of it was junk, the usual credit card applications and requests for charitable donations. She fanned them out and prepared to drop them into the trashcan and then hesitated, knowing she should shred them. Her hand stopped and lingered on one envelope, as a knot formed in her stomach. The envelope didn't look like an application for credit. It looked like a bill. She gulped as she realized it _was_ her Visa bill. She'd overlooked it completely, and she was going to owe a huge amount. She'd charged last month's utilities and all her food and gas when she'd had a run of bad luck with her FTA capture rate.

She ripped the envelope open and noted with relief, the bill wasn't yet overdue. She had two days. Mental math wasn't her forte, but it was a simple problem. If she paid her bill, she'd be back to square one with her apartment-going-condo savings account. If she didn't pay her bill, it would be another mark on her credit. She scooped up the mail and dropped it in the trash. If someone stole her identity it would serve the bastard right. Just let them try to get a loan with her FICO score.

She thought of the unscratched lottery ticket, now residing under the pile of recently added mail. What the hell. Her lucky quarter was the only coin left in her wallet. She pulled it out of the coin purse and turned back to the waste can.

Five minutes later, with trembling fingers she punched out Lula's number. Pick up, pick up, pick up, she silently pleaded.

"Hey, what's up?" Lula asked.

"Get over here right away," Steph said. Her hands weren't the only part of her shaking. She could barely get the next words out. "I just won the lottery."

Stephanie had calmed down, a little, by the time of Lula's arrival. The ticket was still on the table where she'd dropped it after looking at it for the hundredth time. "Where's the ticket?" Lula demanded. "I gotta see this."

"It's on the table," Stephanie said as she pointed in the general direction. She went and sat on the sofa as Lula went toward the table.

"I don't know why you're actin' like you seen a ghost," Lula said. "I won the lottery lots of times. It's no big deal."

"You've won?" Stephanie questioned faintly.

"Sure. I won fifty bucks just last month. And last year I won a cool hundred." Lula picked up the ticket and came to sit next to Stephanie on the sofa. She looked carefully at the ticket and then looked again.

"Holy shit! You won the lottery!" Stephanie noticed the tremble of Lula's hands. "Stephanie, you won $150,000!"

"I know," Stephanie said. "I just needed someone else to confirm it."

"Well, it's not a million bucks, but a hunnert and fifty thou ain't nuttin' to sneeze at."

"It's more money than I've ever had at one time. What do I do now?" Steph asked.

"I got this," Lula said. "I know exactly what to do. You stick with me."

Stephanie had heard Lula take responsibility before, usually on a takedown. And usually, it was the wrong decision to let Lula take charge, but this time she had the sense it was the right thing. "Lead on," she told Lula.

"Well, the first thing we gotta do is go to the lottery office. I'll drive. No wait, the first thing we gotta do is get doughnuts an' you're buying."

It took two hours and a lot of signatures, but Stephanie walked out of the lottery office with an unreal sense of calm. She'd signed the paper for anonymity, so only those she told would know. She'd signed the papers to have the tax withheld, and she'd signed the papers for the electronic funds transfer.

"Now, let's go shopping," Lula suggested.

"I can't," Stephanie said. "I don't have any money. The lottery man said it would take up to seven business days for the money to be in my account."

"The bank will run you a line of credit," Lula said. "Macy's is having a shoe sale and I saw just the right heels for you. Black peep toe platforms with skinny heels five inches high." Lula sighed, apparently the thought of the heels leaving her speechless for the moment.

Stephanie considered it. New FMPs just for the fun of it, with no guilt at the cost. It sounded like a good way to spend the rest of the day. But then, who would she wear the heels for? Certainly not for Joe, and not Ranger either. After her last disastrous interaction with Ranger, he probably wanted nothing to do with her. No, not Ranger. What fun was it buying shoes that would do killer things for her legs if she had no one to wear them for?

"I can't go shopping today," she told Lula. "I need to go to my mom's and do my laundry."

"Stephanie," Lula said. "You can hire someone to do your laundry."

Stephanie laughed at the thought. "I don't need to," she told Lula. "My mom and Grandma Mazur do it for free. I can't go shopping today because I need to think about this, but pick me up tomorrow at ten and, I promise, we'll shop."

"It's a date!"

By the time Lula got to Stephanie's house the next morning Stephanie had a plan and a list. The first stop was the Tasty Pastry. After two Boston Crèmes she felt ready to go. "Wipe the powdered sugar off your boobs," she told Lula. "It's time to shop."

Lula did as instructed. "Where we headed to first?" she asked. "Macy's or Carella's Shoes. They're both having big sales."

"Neither," Stephanie replied. "River Bend Condos is our first stop. I'm going to buy myself a room with a view. I'm not going to be homeless after all."

"Fuckin' A," Lula exclaimed. "You're taking to spendin' this lottery money real well."

"I called the bank this morning," Stephanie told her. "I talked to old Mr. Brown who assured me, they'd be happy to extend a line of credit to me. That way I won't have to wait the seven business days for the check to be deposited."

"That's good thinkin'," Lula said. "First the house and then the shoes."

"Nope. First the house and then the furniture, and then down to the Auto-Mart to trade in my current piece of junk on something dependable."

"And then the shoes?"

"And then the shoes," Stephanie confirmed.

Stephanie walked into her apartment later that afternoon with her jeans cuffed above her ankles to show off the Christian Louboutin denim peep-toe slingback pumps she'd been unable to resist. To celebrate their successful day of shopping she'd bought Lula the pair of Via Spiga stiletto boots she'd been lusting after. Then the two of them left the store wearing their new purchases with their old shoes in the bag. Stephanie hadn't worn a new pair of shoes out of the store since she'd gotten her first pair of Chuck's in sixth grade, but it seemed an appropriate way to end what had been a very successful day.

She went to her fridge and pulled out a beer. Back in the living room, she carefully crossed her feet at the ankles, being careful not to mar her new shoes. They were awesome and even if it was a ridiculous splurge, and she had no one to wear them for, she couldn't regret her purchase. She'd wear them for herself.

The list she'd started the day with now had all the items crossed off. As she took a long swallow of beer, she began mentally constructing a new list. The condo manager had been very helpful in guiding her through the paperwork that would make her an owner instead of a renter. Apparently, her FICO score wasn't as bad as she had feared, because he saw no problem with the approval of the mortgage application. She had wanted, needed, to move in soon, so he agreed to rent the condo to her until the financing could be arranged. Her keys were already on her key ring. She'd given a spare to Lula and had one for her mom and dad.

They'd changed the agenda slightly. After the condo purchase they'd gone to the Auto-Mart. That had been painless, too. Having money, or the promise of it, changed everything. Her new, pre-owned Jeep Wrangler was the perfect vehicle for her. It was sporty, dependable and perfect for hauling FTAs to the precinct house, and the bright blue color did wonderful things for her eyes. It wasn't brand new, but it was only two years old and she had a guarantee that it was mechanically sound.

She'd thought the day might take a downhill turn when she'd run into Joe and Lila, his new "friend," at the furniture store. They were shopping for a new mattress. She saw Joe's shoulders tense as if he were expecting her to make a scene, and her own shoulders tensed as though she was getting ready to make one. Lula being Lula had put everything into perspective.

"Hey there, Officer Hottie, you buying a new bed?"

"Yes," Joe responded. He didn't offer any further explanation, so Lula explained for him.

"I always thought you was a classy guy. You're doing the right thing. You got a new girl, and she should sleep in a new bed. Ain't right to be doing the mattress dance on a bed that's seen other dance partners, if you know what I mean." They all did.

Stephanie had waited for the torrent of jealousy to hit her like it always did when she thought of Joe and another woman. But to her surprise, it hadn't come. She should have, maybe, felt a little ashamed at the secret giggle she'd had at Lila's discomfort. The woman's obvious embarrassment at Lula's comments somehow lifted Stephanie's mood. Winning the lottery meant she was moving on, and Joe was one of the things she was moving on from, she now realized. Maybe change wasn't so bad after all.

Taking another long swig of beer, she started adding new items to her list. Tomorrow, she'd stay away from work. To hell with Vinnie and his skips. She'd use the day to pack the rest of her belongings and arrange to have them delivered to her new condo, the one with the pretty view of the river on the next-to-the-top floor. She'd find someone, maybe Dougie Kruper, to haul her old furniture to the Goodwill store.

As she finished the bottle of beer she reached into her purse and pulled out her phone. She was a little nervous as she opened the calculator app. The lottery man had told her they'd hold out tax, but that she might have more to pay at the end of the year, depending on her income. But if things didn't get better with Vinnie, she might not have an income.

She added up all her expenditures and heaved a small sigh of relief. She'd done it. She'd allotted money for a hefty down payment, which meant her condo payments would be less than her current rent. She'd purchased nice furniture, including an un-danced on mattress for herself, and she'd upgraded her vehicle. If her calculations were correct, and she was pretty sure they were, she had the right amount of money left. Ranger deserved half of her winnings. She wasn't sure he'd take it, but she knew she had to offer. After all, he had purchased the Take a Chance ticket for the both of them.

The both of them. Us. Could there really be an _us_? Up until Ranger had asked her out on a date, she had never let herself think of a future with Ranger, and if she was truthful with herself, she'd been too afraid to consider it. Too afraid to commit... to anything.

Her first marriage had been a disaster, and she just couldn't go through that again. She'd thought that was why she couldn't commit to Joe, but now she knew that wasn't the reason. The real reason was that she was in love with Ranger. But Ranger had always told her he didn't do relationships. He'd flit in and out of her life, in and out of her bed, and while he'd always made himself available if she needed him, he wasn't there for the small things. The day-to-day connections that a couple seemed to take for granted. Could she live with that? What did she really want, need, from Ranger? What did he want from her?

Hell, this was all a moot point anyway. Ranger was seeing someone else. She'd blown it with him. He wasn't hers to fantasize about, to dream of a future with. She was alone and had no one but herself to blame.

At least one thing was looking up in her life. She'd won the lottery! She felt a sense of peace and was a little proud. The only unbudgeted purchase she'd made today was the shoes for herself and Lula. She lifted a foot in the air and admired the way her pink pedicure showed through the peep toe. Yes, that had been a good purchase.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"Hey, Lester," Steph said, as her favorite go-to guy answered his phone. "Are you up for a little bounty hunting today? I've got a lead on Enzo Cavaleri, and since you were so helpful with bringing in Jake Fuller, I thought maybe we could team up again."

"Cavaleri? Wasn't he arrested for armed robbery?" Les asked.

"Yep. He hit up a convenience store and shot a hole through the Dr. Pepper display. I'd like backup for this one."

"Good call. Yeah, I can help you," he said, "but first I have to pick up Ranger from the airport. How 'bout you pick me up around 3?"

"Will do," she replied. Her heart did a little flip-flop. Ranger was coming home. As she disconnected, she thought it over and decided this would be a good opportunity to offer Ranger half of the lottery money, since she was going to be at RangeMan anyway. She'd avoided him for too long, and even if they didn't take it any further, she wanted to retain their friendship. He was always helping her out with loaner cars, jobs and the use of his RangeMen. He deserved to share in her good fortune.

...

Ranger refused the wheelchair offered him as he debarked the plane in Newark. He'd make do with the crutches he gotten when he left the hospital after the accident in Sedona. The doctor had advised him to stay off his feet, but he wasn't about to remain in Arizona any longer. As he hobbled off the plane and swung down the ramp, he could feel the stress he was placing on his left leg. It hadn't fully healed from his last mission, and now he was putting all his weight on it. Clenching his jaw, he kept going until he reached the terminal gates.

Mia was right behind him, carrying his bag. They still had to retrieve her luggage from baggage claim. He pulled himself out of the stream of traffic as the other passengers pushed past him.

Before he knew what was happening, Mia leaned in and kissed him, pressing her body up against his chest.

"Mia," he began, sternly.

She placed her index finger against his lips and smiled coyly. "I couldn't resist, and I knew this was probably my only shot at it, with your hands full of crutches. Don't worry, I'll be a good girl from here on out."

He glared at her, intending to say more, but as he looked over her shoulder, he saw Lester and Vince standing twenty feet away. They'd been dispatched to pick up Mia and him since he couldn't drive the vehicle he'd left in long-term parking. He grimaced, whether from the pain in his leg or from the thought that his men had just witnessed that little PDA with Mia. Too late to worry about it. He just wanted to go home and put his leg up.

...

Lester and Vince walked side by side down the stairs. They'd been silently exchanging glances back and forth since they'd seen the boss man safely inside his apartment. No words had been spoken, but that was about to change. They stopped simultaneously on the landing and unable to hold it in any longer, Vince uttered a heartfelt, "Holy shit!"

"No kiddin'," Lester answered.

"He said it was a business trip, but it makes you wonder what kind of business, huh?"

"It does," Lester agreed.

"I mean," Vince said, "When was the last time you saw T&amp;A like that?"

At this Lester laughed. "You don't want to know, Vince old man, but I get your point. Her body is smokin' hot. She's his new attorney though, so I imagine it was business." They restarted their descent to the parking garage.

"The boss has mixed business with pleasure before," Vince hesitated, and both men exchanged yet another glance. They were thinking about Stephanie Plum. It had looked like something was going to happen between those two, but it never had quite gotten off the ground. And that was too bad, because all the guys liked Stephanie, and they saw the change in Ranger when he was around her. "And I think he's doing it again," Vince continued. "I mean that body of hers was just made to be…"

"I agree," Lester said, interrupting what Vince had been about to say. "But if there is something going on between them, it's _his business_. And since I don't want to be called to the mats, I'm keeping out of Ranger's business."

"Yeah, but, a man would have to be a saint to ignore that and..."

"Ranger's no saint," Lester finished.

"That was more than a friendly kiss she gave him at the airport," Vince insisted.

"You make a point you're not even thinking about. She kissed him. If there were tongues involved I'd say hers was in his mouth and not the other way around."

"Oh hell," Vince said. "That's just because he had an audience. It would have been a different story if he was alone. He's a private kind of guy. We would have never seen the delectable Mia in action if she hadn't had Ranger at such a disadvantage. I guess that's gonna put the brakes on things between them for a while."

"I doubt it," Lester said. "Ranger may have to get a little creative, but it won't put him on the DL. You know, where there's a will, there's a way."

"Yeah, but it limits his mobility. She'd have to come to him, and Ranger's kinda picky about who he lets into his personal space."

"That's true," Lester said. "In fact the only woman he's ever had up there is…" The men turned the corner and started down the last flight. "…Beautiful." It was the completion of his statement and it was a greeting as both men looked down into the upturned face of Stephanie Plum. Her face was pale, and her eyes were startlingly blue and open wide. The men both wondered how long she'd been there and just what she'd heard.

"_Uhm_, you're a little early," Lester said, stumbling a little over his words. "Give me a minute to get my gear."

Steph tucked her head down and mumbled, "Take your time. I was just going up to see Ranger for a bit. I'll meet you in the garage in a few minutes." She dashed past them up the stairs.

...

Connie knocked on the door to Ranger's apartment. The door opened almost immediately, and she did a double take.

"_Ahhh_, Tank told me to come up here," she said by way of explanation.

"Yeah, I just got off the phone with him. Come in." Ranger slid back a little to let her pass by, and she saw the crutches wedged in his armpits.

"I just have this paperwork for you to sign so I can assign a couple of skips to some of your men, and these other forms so I can pay out these… Ranger, you look terrible!" she exclaimed. He had deep circles under his eyes. He looked tired, but his face was drawn tightly, and she realized he was in pain.

"It was a rough trip home," he said, confirming her thought. "You heard about the accident?"

She nodded. "Tank told me. You need to sit down. I don't think you should be on your feet."

"Give me a minute," Ranger said. "I need to get this suit off and put some sweats on. I'll be back out shortly."

"I like that suit. You look good in...not black," Connie said. "You look good in black, too, but it's nice to see you out of your regular RangeMan uniform."

"Right now, I need to be in something that isn't constrictive. Make yourself at home." He turned and made his way slowly toward his bedroom.

Connie sat on the big leather sofa and leaned back. This place was something. She couldn't wait to talk to Stephanie about it. She was pretty sure Stephanie had spent more time in Ranger's penthouse than she admitted. Connie didn't blame her for keeping things with Ranger on the down low.

She'd known Ranger for a long time and there was no denying he was gorgeous, but for some reason, despite his good looks, charisma and bright future, she didn't get the same zing from him that Stephanie did. Her tastes ran more to local guys from the Burg, but hell, that didn't mean she couldn't appreciate the perfection that was Ranger. It was always fun to look, even if she wasn't inclined to touch.

She thought maybe Ranger felt that way, too. She'd seen him eyeing her cleavage. She had some magnificent cleavage, if she said so herself, and she felt a responsibility to show it off. Ranger had looked plenty of times, but he'd never made a move to touch. Their relationship was professional, but it was friendly. Being in his apartment made her think Ranger thought they were friends, too. That was a good thing.

She looked at her watch. How long did it take to slip into something more comfortable? As if he'd heard her question, he called to her. "Connie, could you come in here. I could use a hand."

"Sure," she said. Her grin widened. Not only had she seen the living room, it looked like she was going to get a gander at the bedroom.

Ranger was sitting on the bed. There was a black t-shirt and a pair of sweats lying on the bed next to him. His jacket had been discarded and his shirt was unbuttoned.

"I'm sorry," he said, waving his hand in the general direction of his slacks. He had a sheepish look on his face. "I'm fucking helpless," he said. "I've got a torn muscle in one leg, and a still healing gunshot to the other leg. After that long flight, my muscles have stiffened up. I can't even bend over to get my shoes off."

"Here, let me help," Connie offered, dropping to her knees. She matter-of-factly removed his shoes and then stood. "Unbuckle," she said, pointing to his belt. "I'll have you out of those in no time." He unbuckled and unzipped his pants and then leaned back on both elbows. Connie giggled.

"This isn't exactly how I'd imagined it," she joked, "but I knew, eventually, I'd get you out of your pants!"

"It's not the way I'd imagined it either," he said with a wan grin. She grabbed the waistband of his pants and began to lower them. He lifted his hips slightly, to assist her. When the suit pants were down around his knees she stopped to take a look.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. She reached out and gently touched the huge bruise that ran from just above the knee, north to an area hidden by his shirttail. There was also a large bandage on his outer thigh. "Oh my gosh! I've never seen one that big!"

"Yeah," Ranger said. "I've seen plenty and this thing even amazes me."

"I think it's gonna be painful for a while."

Ranger grimaced. "I think it might." She continued easing the slacks past his knees and over his now shoeless feet. As she stood and placed the pants on the bed she froze. "Did you hear that?" she asked.

"I did," Ranger said grimly. "Someone was in the apartment. What you heard was the door closing."

Connie walked to the door of the bedroom and looked back to the living room. "No one there," she said. "Maybe it was one of your men."

"Almost certainly, it was," Ranger said. "The door is alarmed, so it had to be someone with proper clearance. It was either Lester or Vince coming back up to check on me, or maybe Tank. Whoever it was probably heard you in here and jumped to the wrong conclusion."

"Good," Connie said, laughing. "My reputation could use the boost. Do you need help getting the sweats on?"

"No, I think I can do it, but thanks. Go gather up your papers and bring them in here. I'm thinking I might just stay flat on my back for a while. Bobby will be up before too long to give me the once over."

"Okay, will do," she said. She left the room with a lilt in her step. Poor Ranger. She felt bad for him, but this was going to be great story to tell Lula and Steph.

...

Stephanie closed the apartment door as softly as she could, and then ran to the stairwell, pushing open the door and leaning against it as it closed behind her. Shaken, embarrassed, bewildered. Those words didn't begin to describe her reaction to what she'd just overheard.

Connie and Ranger! In the beginning, when she'd been to Ranger's apartment she'd never come unannounced without worrying about finding someone else there. Eventually, she realized that she held an esteemed place within the confines of the RangeMan office building. Ranger was very selective about whom he let into his personal space, but he'd made sure she knew she was welcome. She hadn't thought twice about letting herself in today.

When she'd first heard the voices she was going to turn and run. But then she'd recognized the woman's voice, and to confirm it, her eyes had fallen on bonds office paperwork on the coffee table. It was Connie, and she was in the bedroom with Ranger.

Taking some calming breaths, Stephanie began to really listen. She'd heard Connie say something about getting him out of his pants and that she'd never seen one that big, and Steph knew exactly what Connie meant as she'd had the same thought many times. When Connie mentioned something about it being painful, Stephanie turned and left the apartment as quickly and quietly as possible.

Stumbling down the stairs, Stephanie stopped on the second flight down. Connie was wrong, but of course she probably was finding that out right now. It wasn't going to hurt. It was going to be wonderful. Ranger was the most incredibly skilled lover. When Connie cried out, it wouldn't be in pain. That was a fact Stephanie knew well. She choked back a sob. Ranger was hers! What was he doing with Connie?

No, Ranger wasn't hers, she realized as she continued down the stairs. There had never been anything permanent between them. How could there be when Joe was always in the picture? But Joe wasn't in the picture anymore. Still, there couldn't be anything permanent between her and Ranger, because Ranger didn't do relationships and he was always haring off to some foreign land, getting shot or stabbed. He said himself that his love didn't come with a ring. No, Ranger wasn't hers, but it hurt to know he was having an affair with his lawyer and now, he was upstairs with Connie.

Connie. How could she face Connie? Thank God she had been able to get out of the apartment without them knowing she was there.

Step by step, she slowly made her way down the rest of the stairs, her shock giving way to other emotions. She was angry, she was jealous, but she was also scared. And hurt. And confused. The strength of her varying emotions had her reeling.

She'd been angry when she'd caught Dickie slipping it to Joyce Barnhardt on her dining room table, but it had been more a feeling of betrayal than anything else. And she'd been upset when she realized Joe was seeing Lila, but she now recognized that feeling as grief, mourning for something that had died quite a while ago. But what she was feeling now was different. There was an ache in her heart; it was painful. She realized she was losing him, losing what she had taken for granted. She thought she'd always have Ranger in her corner. She'd pushed him away too many times. Anger bubbled up inside her-anger at herself. Dammit!

She shoved open the door into the parking garage to find Lester and Vince deep in conversation. Lester turned to look at her. "That didn't take long," he said. "You ready to rock and roll?"

Straightening her shoulders, she uttered, "You bet I am," and moved toward her new Jeep. "This way, Lester," she nearly barked as she pointed to her new wheels. "Let's get this done."

They drove out of the garage and proceeded toward Hamilton Township where Enzo Cavaleri lived. Steph was silent, deep in thought, and she noticed that Lester wasn't too talkative either. They'd always had an easy way between them, but today, there was the proverbial 900-pound gorilla in the car with them. Steph didn't want to talk to Lester about what she'd overheard today, but she couldn't stand the quiet. She put up with Ranger's silence because that was Ranger, but Lester was never quiet.

She started with something safe. "What do you think of my new vehicle?"

"It's really nice," Lester said. "This one actually looks like it might last you a while."

"Yeah, it's just what I needed. It's only a couple of years old and it runs great. Now, if I can just keep it from being stolen, burned or bombed, I'll be all set."

An awkward pause followed. Oh, just go for it, Steph told herself.

"So, her name's Mia, huh?" Steph asked, not taking her eyes off the road.

Lester didn't say anything for a beat or two. "Yeah. Mia Foster," he added. "She's RangeMan's new attorney."

"Sounds like she uses her mouth for more than just being his mouthpiece," she said, trying to make a joke out of it.

Lester snorted. Then he turned serious. "I'm sorry you overheard us talking. We shouldn't have said anything. Ranger's affairs...um, I mean...his business is his. It's private and if he knew we were talking about him, well, it wouldn't be pretty."

"I won't say anything," Steph assured him. "Besides, your and Vince's conversation wasn't the only one I overheard today." She blew out a breath before continuing. "When I went up to Ranger's apartment, he was with Connie Rosolli."

"Yeah," Lester said. "Connie brought over some BEA contracts, and Tank sent her up to Ranger so he could sign them."

"That wasn't all he was doing," Steph muttered.

"What do you mean?"

Steph looked out the driver's side window, hoping Lester wouldn't see the shininess in her eyes, as tears started to build. "He and Connie were... getting busy. And I'm not referring to paperwork. They were in his bedroom. I just never thought..." She stifled the sob that threatened to explode out of her, and kept her face averted.

Lester's face scrunched up, considering that possibility, but it was beyond his comprehension. He just couldn't see it. Connie was a great gal, but Connie with Ranger was like... wearing socks with sandals. It could be done, but there was no good reason for it.

Steph's cellphone rang just they as they pulled up to a red light. "Hello," Steph answered, her face lighting up as she listened to the person on the other end. "That's great news. Thanks for rushing it through." Glad to have something, _anything_ else to talk about, Steph relayed the news she just got to Lester. "That was the electric company. I now have my electric bill for my new condo in my name, and I can pay online."

Lester's eyes widened. "Your new condo?"

She grinned—widely, forcing herself to shake off her funk. "Yep," she said loudly, proudly. "I am the new owner of a deluxe one bedroom at River Bend Condos. And Les, it's really beautiful. Instead of looking out on a parking lot, I now look out on a gorgeous view of the Delaware."

"Wow! Ever since I've known you, you've always lived in that dump on St. James. Why the change?"

Steph pondered how much to tell him. She'd already been candid with Les, why not go a bit further, but she decided not to tell him about the lottery ticket, not yet. "I realized I've been in a rut. Trying to hold onto the status quo. But everything around me is changing." She stopped abruptly, and both she and Lester knew she was referring to her break up with Joe Morelli. "It was time for me to change, too. And... it feels good."

"A new car and a new condo," Lester mused, as he took a good long look at Steph. "You even look different." He reached over and flicked her curls. "I like your hair short. It suits you. It's sexy."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah. You're a knockout, Beautiful."

She was silent for a while. "Thank you, Les. I needed that. I've been feeling a little down lately. And this thing about Ranger and his...attorney...and Connie...hasn't helped."

"Steph, I can't speak for Ranger, and I think he's a fool if he doesn't step up to the plate. Any man would be lucky to have you."

"Right," she mumbled.

"I'm serious. I don't call you Beautiful for nothin'. And I'm not the only one who thinks you're something special. There are several guys at RangeMan who'd love to give you more than just the time of day, if Ranger wasn't in the picture."

Steph blushed at Lester's words. It gave her ego a needed boost to think other men found her attractive. She reached over and gave Lester's hand a quick squeeze. "Enough of this heavy stuff. Let's nab ourselves an armed robber."


	16. Chapter 16

**Authors' Note:** There are only a few chapters left to this little story about new changes in Ranger and Stephanie's lives. Ranger has had the opportunity to look for love, but they were in all the wrong places. There is one last place to look. We have decided to speed up the posting of the last few chapters because we are eager to begin work on another collaborative effort. We think our writing styles complement each other, and that Ranger and Stephanie could benefit from another one of our joint stories. If you agree, let us know.

**sonomom:** This story was Jago-ji's. Her idea, her plot, her resolution. She was kind enough to invite me to participate and I jumped in with both feet. I am grateful for the opportunity and can't wait to do it again. **Jago-ji:** I may have started this story, but I hit a mental brick wall, and sonomom wrote many humorous bits of dialogue and sexy scenes that broke my writer's block. This was a wonderful collaboration and I can't wait to do it again, either.

**Chapter 16**

"Bobby, are you going up to Ranger's apartment?" Lester asked, seeing Bobby with his medic bag heading for the stairs.

"Yes," Bobby replied. "Gonna change the boss man's dressing."

"Dressing? I thought he just wrenched his leg?"

Bobby nodded. "He also has some minor lacerations, but the main injury is to the muscles in his right leg. His left leg hadn't completely healed, and he put a lot of strain on it using those crutches before he got home. I've got him totally off his feet for at least the next couple of days to let his left leg rest, then he'll be back to using crutches for a while."

"That's rough. He's going to be hard to live with, isn't he?" Lester quipped.

"That's putting it mildly. I should get hazard pay for this."

"Can I come up with you? There's something I need to talk to him about."

"It's _your_ ass he'll be chewing. Just wait till I get done before you tell him whatever it is you feel can't wait until he's back on two feet."

Lester stayed out in the living room while Bobby went into Ranger's bedroom and did his doctoring. As Bobby joined Lester once again, he rolled his eyes and dragged his thumb across his throat, and then grinned as he exited out the front door.

Lester closed his eyes and exhaled noisily before he entered the bedroom. Ranger was propped up with pillows on the bed, his laptop on his lap and his phone to his ear. He cut his eyes to Lester as he came through the door.

"What?" Ranger snapped.

"It's about Stephanie," he blurted out, hoping that bringing up her name first would save him from the worst of Ranger's bad mood.

Ranger frowned and put down his phone. "Go on."

"I was with her yesterday when we were bringing in a skip. She was awesome, by the way." Lester grinned. "The dirt bag had been nabbed for armed robbery, so he wasn't your usual run-of-the-mill skip, but Steph was on her game. She was fully dressed and ready. The schmuck didn't know what hit him. I was impressed. She didn't dick around, just kicked her way in and took him down. She's got some fancy set of balls on her."

Ranger gave a slight nod, and waited for Lester to get to the real reason he was taking up his valuable time.

"Well, anyway, while we were driving we were talking about stuff and... she's pretty upset."

Ranger just stared at Lester. Lester shifted his feet from side to side before continuing. "Seems she overheard you and Connie yesterday and she mentioned that Connie was in your bedroom and... well... she seems to think you and Connie were... you know...doing more than just... signing papers."

Ranger continued to stare at Lester. Lester took a deep breath and plunged on. "This is none of my business," he said, "but if Steph has the wrong idea, someone should tell her. I know you and Steph are... were... uh... close." Lester blew out a big puff of air. "Hell!" he exclaimed. "She was crying. She tried to hide it from me, but she was really upset. I don't like to see her cry." Lester dropped his eyes and looked decidedly uncomfortable.

Neither man said anything for a minute. Then Ranger spoke, quietly, not the explosion Lester had anticipated. "I don't like to see her cry either," Ranger confided. "I'll talk to her."

Lester was relieved at Ranger's response. So much so that he continued. "Also, she's got a new vehicle," he said. "A nice one. A Jeep Wrangler, in excellent condition. You've always had us track her cars. Do you want this one tracked as well?"

"Yes," Ranger answered, no hesitation.

"Okay," Lester said. "One more thing. She bought a condo. One of the really nice ones down by the river. Surprised the hell out of me."

At this bit of news, Ranger's eyes widened. He quickly recovered, saying, "Thanks for the update." He turned his eyes back to his laptop, effectively dismissing Lester, who left the room and the apartment as fast as he could.

When he heard the front door close, Ranger leaned his head back against the headboard. A smile crossed his face. So, it was Stephanie who'd been in his apartment yesterday and overheard he and Connie talking. He thought back on their conversation and chuckled. He could see how Steph might have misinterpreted what was happening between them. And Lester's description of Steph's aggressive action with her skip indicated she might have been a little angry. Maybe a little jealous? He grinned again.

But the new car and the new condo? When did all this happen? Where'd she get the money? As far as he knew, no one in her family had died and left her anything. She'd been working hard to bring in all the skips Vinnie had been bonding out, but none of them were high-ticket skips, at least not the kind of money it would take to buy a decent car _and_ put a down payment on a nice condo. Was there someone new in her life? Ranger frowned, a puzzled expression on his face.

He picked up his phone and called her. When it went to voicemail, he tried the one thing he hadn't done yet. He left a message with the one word that always got results. "Babe, call me. Please."

...

At the same time Lester was talking to Ranger, Stephanie was standing in front of the bonds office, her body receipt for Enzo Cavaleri clutched in her hands. She dreaded seeing Connie. But she still had a job to do and even though her money problems weren't critical anymore, she still needed to make a living. Her phone rang and she saw that it was Ranger. There was no way she could talk to him. Not now. Could she ever? She let it go to voicemail.

Steeling herself, she pushed through the front door and walked over to Connie's desk. Lula was also there, and they were both snacking on jelly donuts. Connie pushed the box toward Steph and said, "Help yourself and then grab a chair because I've got a doozy of a story to tell you guys."

For once in her life, Steph didn't feel like eating donuts, but she pulled over a chair and reluctantly sat down, a look of dread on her face as she waited for Connie to gloat about having fantastic sex with Ranger.

"What!" cried Lula, giving Connie a severe frown. "You been holdin' out on me? I've been here for at least an hour and you didn't say anything about a juicy story." Lula _harrumphed_. "Well, I got some juicy news, too, but it's really Steph's news." Lula looked over at Steph and said, "Ya gonna tell her your big news or should I?" Then she glanced over at Connie and hoisted her leg up on the desk, wiggling her foot and the new Via Spiga boot her foot was encased in.

Before Steph could get out a word, Lula blurted out, "Steph won the lottery and she bought me these new shoes for helping her cash in the winnin' ticket and for helpin' her spend a heap of that gorgeous money. Isn't that right, Steph?"

"You're kidding," Connie yelled. "How much did you win?" She was leaning forward and staring at Steph, a huge grin on her face.

"It wasn't the big jackpot," Steph admitted, "but it's more money than I've ever had at one time."

"Tell her what you did with all that cool green cash," Lula said eagerly.

They both were staring at Steph, big smiles on their faces. They were genuinely happy for her and wanting to live a little through her good fortune. Steph swallowed and tried to forget about Connie and Ranger for a moment and concentrate on the good news in her life.

"I bought a new car. Well, new to me. It's parked outside. It's a two-year-old Jeep Wrangler and it's a pretty shade of blue - no rust spots, no missing fender, no backfires."

"Tell her what else you bought," Lula cried out, practically salivating.

Now Steph grinned. "I bought one of those high-end condos at River Bend Condos. It's really nice and has great views of the Delaware. And I also bought all new furniture for it. No more hand-me-downs."

"That's great," Connie clapped her hands. "You've got to throw a house-warming party or should I say, a condo-warming party."

Steph nodded, but didn't say anything. She was waiting for Connie to wax poetic about doing the nasty with Ranger.

"Okay, now it's your turn," Lula said, picking up another donut and pointing it at Connie.

Connie's bright red lips stretched across her face as she announced, "I was in Ranger's apartment yesterday!"

"No shit!" Lula screamed. "You were in the Batcave?"

"Yep. And that's not all. I also saw his bedroom."

Lula started fanning herself. "Tell me the man himself was there, too."

"Yep. And he was in bed," Connie bragged. Lula hooted. Steph looked miserable.

"And get this...I helped him off with his clothes."

Lula hooted even louder. Steph slid down in her seat, and stared at the ground.

"How big is he? I bet he's huge. Tell me he's hung like a horse," Lula begged.

"A lady doesn't kiss and tell," Connie hedged and then she laughed and said, "But I'm no lady." After she got her giggles under control, she spilled the beans. "Don't I wish that was how it happened. The real story is that Ranger was in a minor car accident and he injured his leg. He can't walk on it and he can't bend it. I was there to have him sign some BEA contracts for his men, and he asked me to help him get out of his suit. He'd just returned from a trip and was having trouble taking off his shoes and pants. He's got a huge bruise, and it's a shame, because he's got really nice legs."

"_Awww_, I was hoping to hear some really nasty gossip," Lula pouted. "I've had dreams about that man, and I really want to have the truth about him confirmed." She swiveled her head to Steph and opened her eyes wide, a demanding look on her face.

Steph was sporting a shit-eating grin, relieved beyond belief to know the truth behind what she'd heard yesterday. When she realized both women were expecting her to divulge Ranger's measurements, she laughed and shook her head.

"So not going there," Steph said. "But I will take you guys out to lunch today. My treat. And I'll drive." She handed Connie her body receipt. "As soon as you write me a check for this bad boy."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

"FUCK!" A loud crash immediately followed the exclamation.

Bobby ran into Ranger's bedroom only to find his boss imitating a stork flapping its wings. He had his back to the door and was standing on his left leg with his right leg up, bent at the knee. And he was pinwheeling his arms trying to regain his balance. One crutch had been thrown against the wall and the other was teetering on the edge of the bed. Everything that had been on the closest nightstand was strewn across the floor.

Bobby quickly strode forward to help, but was smacked in the face as Ranger made a sudden move to keep himself upright.

"Fuck, Brown. What are you doing here?" Ranger growled as he awkwardly turned his body around.

"Me?" Bobby countered, rubbing his jaw. "I'm here to check up on you. And it looks like you need checking up on. What are you doing on your feet?" Bobby was poised and ready to duck if he needed to. He also noticed that his boss was no longer in sweats but in work pants and a t-shirt.

"Dammit, I can't stay in bed all day. I've got a company to run."

"Your company is running just fine. You hired competent staff and they're doing their job. Your job right now is to stay off your feet, and you're fucking it up. You're never going to heal if you refuse to follow my orders. And yes, they are orders, not suggestions." Bobby had pulled himself up to his full height and had his hands on his hips, a stern look on his face. He didn't usually stand up to Ranger, but this time someone had to.

Ranger uttered a strangled noise that sounded like it originated from his stomach and then got lodged in his throat. It was an obvious sound of disgust and exasperation. And anger. But Bobby held his ground. It was the proverbial Mexican standoff.

It only broke when Tank came into the bedroom. One look at the two men faced off against each other told Tank all he needed to know. He growled out, "Looks like I need to bring in the big guns. I'm calling Mama Mañoso if you don't get back in bed...now. She'll be down here and on your ass so fast, it'll make your head spin."

Ranger cut his eyes to Tank, the glare in his eyes just as deadly as the one he'd had trained on Bobby.

Hours later, the tension finally broke. Actually, it was only a few seconds, but to the men involved, it seemed the standoff lasted forever. Ranger slowly lowered his body to the bed, and it was clear to Tank and Bobby that Ranger was relieved to finally give in and let his body relax. His mind though, was far from relaxed.

Bobby moved in and after getting Ranger's cargo pants off, he started to change the bandages on Ranger's right leg. He frowned when he saw there was fresh blood on them. He held the soiled dressing in his hand so that Ranger could see it and the look of displeasure on Bobby's face. Ranger closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the headboard, leaving Bobby in silence to finish his work.

While that was happening, Tank put the rest of the room to rights, and then leaned against the doorjamb as Bobby left the room. As soon as he heard the front door close, Tank spat out, "What were you thinking?" Ranger's eyes shot open at hearing the censure in Tank's voice.

Tank ignored the optic daggers shooting at him and continued. "This isn't a serious injury..._IF_ you give it time to heal. If you don't, you could be permanently crippled. You _know_ that. What was so damned important that you had to jeopardize your health?"

Ranger didn't answer immediately, but when he did his voice was low, resigned. "It's Stephanie."

Tank straightened. "Is she in trouble?"

Ranger shook his head no. Then he blew out a breath. "She was up here, yesterday. She was here at the same time as Connie Rosolli." Another exhalation. "I was having difficulty getting my shoes and pants off, so I asked Connie to help. She did, but Stephanie must have let herself into the apartment right then and overheard us talking in here. It was an awkward moment for both Connie and I, and well... Connie made some jokes about the situation, and Stephanie misconstrued what was happening."

Tank chuckled. "It's funny, but not really a problem. You explained it to Steph, didn't you?"

"She left before we even knew she was here. We heard the door close, but I thought it was you. And then Santos told me this morning that Stephanie was upset about it. I need to set things straight with her."

"A phone call would suffice."

"She's not returning my calls."

"Do you want me to go talk to her?" Tank asked.

"It's something I need to do myself, but..." Ranger glanced down pointedly at his bandaged and bruised legs.

"I could bring her to you."

"Kidnap her? That would go over big."

"Yeah, she doesn't exactly respond well to forced situations. Remember when you forced her to stay here at RangeMan and she zapped Hal with his own stun gun?" Tank said, chuckling.

"If I'm going to talk to her and expect her to listen, it needs to be at the right time, in the right place, and in the right tone," Ranger agreed.

Tank snorted. "Well, then it's just going to have to wait a few days. Maybe you should send her some flowers. You know, a peace offering."

"You and your fucking flowers. Just remember, payback's a bitch, hermano."

Tank left the room, a worried frown marring his stoic face.

That evening, Ranger sat up in his bed and with his laptop in front of him, ran a search program on Steph's financial situation. He saw the line of credit the bank had given her, but he saw no recent deposits that would account for her high rate of expenditures. What was she using for collateral? Again, he was left with an uneasy feeling.

In all the years he'd known Stephanie Plum, she was always full of surprises, but she was always broke. He was used to bailing her out of trouble, physically and financially, at least by offering a job or a car or a place to stay. But lately, she'd been refusing his help, as well as refusing his attempts to date her. He'd confirmed that the cop was exclusively dating another woman, and he could find no evidence that Steph was seeing anyone. But something had changed in her life, and it was killing him that he couldn't leave his apartment and ferret out the truth himself.

Frustration consumed him, and in a fit of anger he flung his laptop across the room, where it shattered upon impact against the bathroom door. For a man who was used to always being in control, this feeling of uncertainty had him on edge. Hell, it had him exploding over the edge, totally out of control.

That same evening, Steph was sitting up in her bed, a pad of paper on her lap, chewing on the eraser of the pencil she held in her hand. If anyone could see her, they would see the determined look on her face and also the gears turning in her head. For a woman who never knew what the next day might bring or even what she wanted it to bring, this feeling of certainty had her totally centered. She felt like she had when she was a little girl and knew she could fly. And soon, she would soar again, into her new life.

...

For two days, none of her friends or family saw or heard from Stephanie Plum. The only one who knew where she was for certain was a man, with a brand new laptop, in a seventh floor penthouse apartment in the middle of Trenton. While the man was stationary, Steph was in constant motion, going from one store to the next and frequently returning to a fashionable residential building located next to the Delaware River. And for a twenty-four-hour period, she left Trenton altogether.

...

Steph locked her Jeep and stepped over the curb, into the warm sand. She felt pampered after spending last night in a luxury suite overlooking the Atlantic. She'd ordered room service, one of her three most favorite things in the whole wide world. She had an hour-long full body massage and facial, a mani-pedi, and then a Brazilian wax. Well, not a full wax. She had them leave a small trimmed triangle for modesty's sake. She even signed up for a makeover and was thrilled with her new look. All courtesy of a little Jersey Devil.

Steph chuckled as she flashed back on the image of a red donut soaring though the air and then getting run over by a garbage truck. She could laugh about it now. After that disastrous morning, she'd gone back a few days later for more donuts and found the red plastic devil in the gutter. Even though it was squashed flat, Tasty Pastry still accepted it and awarded her the prize: an all-expenses paid vacation to Point Pleasant. And now, she was going to spend a day at the beach perfecting her tan.

She'd splurged and bought a new bikini and cover-up, and adorable wedge sandals. Her designer sunglasses weren't too shabby either. She found a good spot on the beach that wasn't filled with screaming kids and made herself at home. After carefully applying sunscreen, she stretched out on a beach towel and let all the tension drain out of her body as the sun-baked sand warmed her.

She had debated whether to bring someone with her as the trip was for two people, but decided against it. She figured she would be spending a lot of time alone, so she may as well get used to it. And it wasn't too bad. She was actually enjoying herself. She could feel the stress and craziness of the last few weeks ebb away. Amazing how much calmer and clearer thinking she was now that her money problems had been eased.

Suddenly, the sun was gone and she sat up, holding her hand over her eyes. A man was standing over her, a smile on his face. As she took a closer look at him, he squatted down and smiled.

"Yo. I'm Benny. And you're beautiful," he said, letting his eyes rake down her body, lingering on the small strips of cloth that served as a swim suit.

He was very nice looking, from head to toe. Sun-bleached blond hair, blue eyes, tanned and ripped. Malibu Ken, albeit with a Jersey accent.

"Hi, I'm Tallulah," she lied easily. "And you're not so bad looking yourself."

"Yeah, well. I work out."

She let her eyes roam his muscled torso and knew he wasn't lying. He did work out. His face was smooth and unlined, and there was a hint of peach fuzz on his upper lip. Benny was a baby, and she wasn't interested at all, but it was nice to be hit on.

Benny was talking to her again, but Steph was distracted by a very angry young woman striding their way. The girl smacked Benny on the back of his head and then started yelling at Steph. "Who do you think you are, trying to steal my man? It's hard enough competin' with all the strippers from AC, and then you cougars swoop in and flash your bodies at all the local boys. Benny's mine, so put your claws away." She yanked Benny by the arm, but Benny remained unmoving.

"Honey, this ain't no cougar. This is Tallulah, and I'm thinking Benny is just the man for both of you." He bounced on his toes with a self-satisfied air.

Stephanie was once again the object of a thorough appraisal, this time from Benny's girlfriend. Her look of dismay changed to one of speculation. She smiled at Stephanie and then turned to run her hand over Benny's oiled bicep. "Benny, you know I'm not into threesomes, but…" She paused to flash a wide smile at Stephanie. "If Tallulah is willing, we'd let you watch us. Right, Tallulah?"

"Wrong," Stephanie said. "My pastor and the youth group are joining me here soon. So if you don't mind…" She made a shooing motion with her hand, and smiled to herself as the self-proclaimed swinger Benny and his girlfriend made their way on down the beach.

Stephanie stretched back out letting the rays once again transport her into the special place of calm she could find only at the beach. If she'd needed any confirmation that she looked good, she'd gotten it. She knew Ranger was attracted to her physically, it was the rest of her she was uncertain of.

She lay in the sun, meditative, and thought of Ranger. She remembered when she first met him and how scared she was of him, but she never let him see that. She'd kept up a brave front and soon, it wasn't a front. She gave Ranger all the credit for it though. He was always supportive, never criticized or made her feel uncomfortable when she made a fool of herself, which had been often over the years. He was the most generous man she'd ever known. And he'd said he loved her, many times, in his own way. And she loved him, that was never in doubt.

With all the things he'd done for her, he had to care, a lot. She'd be a fool to let her self-doubts and insecurities stop her from going after what she really wanted. And what she really wanted was Ranger.

Up until just recently, he'd never given her any indication he wanted more than what they had, except for more sex. But lately, that had changed and it had scared her. She was afraid if she got too close, if _he_ got too close, he would see that she didn't measure up, and she couldn't stand losing him, even what little she had of him. That was the reason she kept going back to Joe. Joe was safe, and Joe kept her from getting too close to Ranger. But now, maybe... they had a chance. If it wasn't too late.

She realized that she didn't need a ring, but she did have a few conditions, and one of them was fidelity. No more Ms. Redheaded Lawyer. That was the deal breaker for her. But could she compete? Ranger had said things in the past that led her to believe that fidelity wasn't an impossible demand. But how did she stack up against a stacked redhead? And a successful lawyer to boot.

The one thing she had going for her was their past relationship, even if he wouldn't admit that's what it was. And just recently, he'd gone from saying he didn't do relationships to asking her out on a date, persistently, and he had asked her to move in with him. She knew he cared about her, and he seemed to want more now. Maybe, just maybe. She sat up suddenly and gathered her gear. What had been a mystery to her for a long time was suddenly clear. It was time to go home.

...

Steph was grinning ear to ear when she finally sauntered back into the bonds office after being gone for two days. When Lula saw her, she was speechless, at least for sixty seconds.

"_Girrrrrl_, you look fan-fuckin-tastic!" Lula screeched at high volume. "What did you do to your hair? And where did you get that gorgeous tan? And I'm lovin' that outfit. You went shoppin' without me, didncha?"

Steph did a little twirl to show off her new hairdo and outfit. She was wearing a pair of designer skinny jeans that did wonders for her butt, a gauzy white blouse that set off her tan, and her Louboutin denim peep-toe slingback pumps.

Even Connie stood up from behind her desk to take a good look at Steph. "Did you go to one of those tanning salons?" Connie asked, and then affected a pose. "You look _mahvelous_!"

Still grinning, Steph joined Lula and Connie and perched on the desk, crossing her legs so her new shoes were front and center. "_I_... have been laying on the beach. I won an all-expenses paid vacation to Point Pleasant, courtesy of Tasty Pastry."

"Get out!" Lula shouted. "You won the Jersey Devil contest?"

"I did!" Steph crowed.

"Damn, girl. I ate at least two dozen of them red devils and got nuttin. And you, you won a donut contest _and_ the lottery. Hell, we need to take you to Atlantic City. You're on a lucky streak."

"She isn't going anywhere," Vinnie said, as he burst out of his office. "I oughta fire your ass for being AWOL." He shook his finger at Steph. "I don't pay you for parking your lily white ass on the beach."

Steph raised her hand to poke her finger at Vinnie's chest, but thought better about touching his greasy body. She did, however, raise her voice and turn her Burg death glare on him. "I've had enough of your whining and complaining. You don't _pay_ me unless I bring in your precious skips. And, in case you've forgotten, right now I'm your only bond enforcement agent."

"The hell you are. I've got signed contracts for a half dozen of Ranger's men. And I can count on them, unlike you who goes off to the beach anytime she feels like it."

"One day! One lousy day! I'm allowed a day off every couple of years. And besides, I brought in all my skips before I took off." She took a menacing step toward Vinnie, and he darted around behind Connie's desk. "As for Ranger's men, they are only working for you part-time as a favor to me, so I have backup when I need it. If I don't work, they don't work," Steph countered. "So, _back off_, Vinnie."

"Bah!" Vinnie muttered, throwing up his hands and retreating back to his office. Once his door slammed shut, the three women giggled.

Connie held up her hand and high-fived Steph. "Way to go. Keep him off balance."

"What a turd," Lula said, and also high-fived Steph.

Reaching into her handbag, Steph pulled out two small envelopes. "You are both invited to my condo-warming party tomorrow night. The details and my new address are on these invites. There'll be food and drink, and you can bring a date."

Connie's eyes lit up, but Lula frowned. "I may just come stag. Don't wanna tie myself down to just one man," Lula said.

"Whatever you want," Steph said. "See you tomorrow night. I have a bunch more invites to hand out."

She spent the rest of the day delivering invites to close friends and a few select family members. As for RangeMan, she called Lester and he met her for lunch. She gave him a handful of hand-addressed invites and asked him to hand them out personally. It was late afternoon, just before dinner, when Steph stopped by her parents' house and told them the good news about her lottery win. She then handed her father a copy of her condo key, and invited them all to her party. Things were going just as she planned.


	18. Chapter 18

Authors' Note: This is the last chapter. We thank everyone who took the time to read through to the end, and we hope you liked our collaborative effort. We hope to do this again, someday, and hope you will take a chance on us!

**Chapter 18**

Steph took one last look around her new digs. She loved the open concept of the living room, dining room and kitchen. Everything was in place. Her new furniture had been delivered and arranged to her liking. She put Rex's glass aquarium on the low ledge beneath the wall of windows in the living room, and now he had a view of the Delaware River and the park below.

She had bought a cartonful of bottles of booze, several cases of beer, plus soft drinks and mixers. The trays of food from the nearby deli had been delivered and set up in the dining room. She'd even ordered a couple of flower arrangements to brighten things up, though the scenic view through the wall of windows in her living room brought in tons of color and light.

As she walked through her new home, and it already felt like home, she fingered some of the personal touches she had added in the last couple of days. She'd brought some momentos from her old room at her parents' house. There were newly framed pictures of her family, and a couple of she and Mary Lou when they were in high school and then in college. She added a new picture of Connie, Lula and herself taken one evening when they went out to celebrate a particularly good week. There was also a framed picture that showcased Steph and Ranger that Lester had taken last year at the RangeMan Christmas party. That night had turned into one of the best nights of her life. She was hoping tonight would top that one.

These last few weeks had been life-changing for her—as resistant to change as she had been—and this new place was indicative of her new life. She was still trying to piece together everything that had happened, but the one good thing that had come out of all the turmoil she'd undergone was a clear picture of what she wanted. And what she was willing to fight for. And tonight, she was ready for the fight of her life.

The doorbell rang. Her first guests had arrived. Steph walked swiftly toward her front door, but stopped before the mirror that was placed on the wall next to the door. She fluffed her hair and liked what she saw. She never realized how easy her curls would be to manage with shorter hair. And even though she was sporting a smoky eye, she liked the subtler makeup she'd learned how to apply during her makeover.

She looked down and swiveled her foot so she could admire the new matte black stilettos she'd purchased earlier that morning. They went well with the midrise black faux leather pants she'd picked out. The pants were skin tight and remarkably comfortable. She loved their visible side zippers that accentuated her narrow waist. Tugging the black spangled crop top down a bit, she almost blushed at the amount of skin it revealed, but then grinned. Her belly was tanned and firm. And tonight was her night. She deserved to look good.

With a deep breath, she swung open the door and greeted her first guests.

...

The party was well under way and everyone was having a good time. There was still plenty of food and booze, and no one had started a fight. It was an eclectic crowd, but most people had met each other at one time or another. Steph's father was talking with Eddie Gazarra, and Helen was visiting with her niece, Shirley, who was married to Eddie. Grandma Mazur was thoroughly enjoying herself as she moved around the room, ogling the various Merry Men who were assiduously trying to avoid her.

Ranger had arrived with Tank, and he was still on crutches. In spite of his injury, he looked perfectly put together. He had accessorized his usual black with a tone-on-tone dark gray sweater that fit like a second skin under his black leather jacket. The sweater had a short zipper at the neckline that every woman in the room was aching to pull down. Steph was in the kitchen at the time, so Grandma Mazur welcomed the two new arrivals.

"What's with the crutches?" Grandma said as she opened the door and saw Ranger standing there. She'd already had a bit too much to drink. She grinned and elbowed him. "I bet the other guy got it much worse. But never mind about that. It's about time you got here, young man. This party needs some livening up. Is that real leather?" she asked, fingering Ranger's black leather jacket. She would have fingered more than just his jacket, but Ranger had become quite adept with the crutches and was able to dodge her groping hands as he moved into the living room. Tank, on the other hand, got goosed, letting out an amazingly high-pitched yell.

Right behind Ranger and Tank were Lester, Bobby, Vince, Hal, Cal and Howdy, and each of them had their hands full trying to avoid Grandma Mazur. She was quite fast for someone pushing 80.

Several of Stephanie's girlfriends and their husbands came, including Mary Lou and Lenny Stankovic. Steph had also invited a number of her unmarried female friends and cousins, knowing that her favorite RangeMen would show up.

Connie had brought a date, Jimmy Valenti. Jimmy worked for Connie's uncle and looked the part in a dark suit, slicked-back black hair and a swarthy Italian complexion. As odd as it seemed, he and Sally Sweet were old friends. Sally was in charge of Steph's new stereo system, and he and Jimmy kept the tunes coming. One popular song, in particular, was played several times. Each time the uptempo oldie played, the party-goers chimed in during the catchy chorus, "Take a chance on me."

Steph had talked to Ranger for a brief moment, but only long enough to ask him about his leg injury, and for him to compliment her on her new condo. Then others had joined the conversation, and they hadn't talked the rest of the evening. They did, however, keep seeking each other out visually: quick furtive glances from Stephanie, and long, assessing looks from Ranger.

True to her word, Lula had arrived stag. She'd come dressed to impress, but it didn't seem to be working at first on her intended audience. She'd gone with a tiger-striped theme including a tiger-striped orange mini-dress paired with orange thigh-high boots. She'd dyed her hair a deep reddish orange, and she was wearing a tiger lily wrist corsage, which was an odd choice, even for Lula.

When Steph asked her about it, she said the corsage had been delivered earlier that morning with a note that read, "If you wear this tonight, I'll know you are ready for a second shot at love." It wasn't signed, but Lula just knew it was from Tank, because his pet name for her when they'd been engaged a few years ago was Tiger. The minute she came in the door, she zeroed in on Tank.

"Thanks for this flower," she told him, holding her wrist out. "When I saw it was a tiger lily I knew you was the sender, even if the card wasn't signed."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Lula." His voice sounded earnest, but Lula wasn't buying it.

"It's okay, Tank. I know you must be embarrassed 'bout that note. An' I'll be truthful. I don't know if I want a second shot at love."

"A second shot at love?" The big man's voice was surprisingly weak and ended with a squeak. Lula followed his glance as Tank turned to look at Ranger. Ranger was smiling broadly. Tank wasn't. "Yeah, boss man. You were right," he said softly. "Payback's a bitch."

"Payback?" Lula asked. "You don't have to pay me back for nothin'. Our break up was mutual. An' I don't think we're cut out for the love thing. I see us as more like... friends with benefits."

"Benefits?" Tank questioned.

"Yeah," Lula said. "I know you love your kitties, and with me you get a big cat to love. I'm a big tiger cat, just waitin' to get you by your... _tail_." The last word was stretched out, said almost in a purr.

Tank moved in a little closer. "What are your plans for later?" he asked.

"Nothin' particular," she said.

"Maybe you'd like to go back to my place—and see my new kitty?"

"That'd be purr-fect," she said and they both laughed.

Grandma Mazur joined them. Tank instinctively stepped back, but to his relief Grandma wasn't focused on him. She looked Lula up and down. "That's a great outfit, Lula. You need to take me shopping sometime."

"We could do that, Edna. Stephanie's kind of boring to shop with. I'm thinkin' you'd be more fun."

Grandma Mazur looked down at her lavender track suit. "Yeah, I gotta get me something with more sizzle. I got a merry man I'm interested in and I need an outfit that shows off my attributes better."

"Which man?" Tank asked, suddenly showing interest in the conversation.

"That big boy, Howdy," Edna said. "I like his red hair. I'm planning on finding out if he's a natural redhead, if you know what I mean."

"Are you feeling a little tired, Edna?" Tank asked.

"Why no, I'm fine."

"That's too bad," Tank said. "If you were feeling the need for an early evening I could ask Howdy to take you home."

Edna yawned and stretched her arms wide. "Oh my. It's getting close to my bedtime. I hope this party breaks up soon."

Tank smiled. "I'll go tell Howdy you need a ride," he told her. "I'm sure he'll oblige."

He turned to Lula. "I'll be back, Tiger. Stay right here."

"Okay," Lula said, "but Tank…payback's a bitch."

...

Stephanie closed the door on the last of her guests, almost. She turned and stared at Ranger, who looked unconscionably masculine sitting in her new wing-backed armchair.

"How are you getting home?" she asked.

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you asking me to leave?"

"No. I just wondered, I mean, you're on crutches."

"I could drive if I had to, but I'm making Bobby happy and obeying his orders."

"Did Bobby bring you tonight," Stephanie asked. She'd known the minute Ranger was in the room, just like she always knew when he was near, but she'd been busy in the kitchen at the time.

"I came with Tank, and I imagine I'll go home with Tank."

"But...Tank's gone," she said. "He and Lula left together." Stephanie shook her head at the remembered surprise of seeing them leave arm in arm.

"It would surprise me," Ranger said with a half-smile lighting his face, "if I don't get a phone call from Tank before the night is over."

Stephanie did a slow twirl taking in the aftermath of the party. It was just a little messy, but she'd attend to that tomorrow. Tonight, she had other plans. She moved quickly to the sofa and sat on the end closest to Ranger. "I don't mind if you stay for a while," she said in a soft voice. "It's been forever since we've, uh, talked."

"Yes, it's been a while." Ranger's voice was equally soft, his fingers steepled as he sat across from her in a posture of calm.

"Would you like to sit here?" She patted the cushion next to her. "I can get your crutches for you." Ranger put his hands on the arms of her new chair and pushed himself up and onto his feet.

"I can walk without the crutches," he said. "I'm just not supposed to. I'm injured, but I'm not a cripple." And to prove his point he walked slowly, but without a noticeable limp, the few steps across the plush carpet and lowered himself onto the cushion next to her.

"I know you're not a cripple," Stephanie said, suddenly remembering the conversation she'd overheard between Lester and Vince in the stairwell at RangeMan. "Lester said it would take more than a leg injury to put you on the DL, whatever that is."

"The disabled list. It's a sports term, and Lester is right. I'm not disabled." He settled back on the sofa and extended his arm along the back. Stephanie stood and stepped away quickly, as a surprised Ranger raised his eyebrow.

"I have something for you," she announced. "I'll be right back." She left the living room momentarily and came back with something in her hand. She stopped in front of him and held out a slip of paper.

He took it and saw that it was a personal check written on her account. His eyes widened when he saw the amount.

Before he could ask, she answered. "It's yours. You remember the lottery ticket you gave me…the one that said _Take a Chance_?"

"Yes, I remember."

"Well, I didn't take a chance on us, exactly. But I did take a chance on the lottery ticket, and I won. This is your share." She motioned toward the check.

Ranger looked at it again and then he looked at Stephanie and patted the empty cushion next to him. "So this explains it," he said. "The line of credit, the condo, the car and the trip to Point Pleasant."

"How did you know about the line of credit and Point Pleasant?" she asked, as she sat down next to him.

"Babe."

"Point Pleasant had nothing to do with winning the Take a Chance game, but you're right about everything else. That check is your half."

He tried to hand it back to her, but she pushed his hand away. "It's yours. You gave me the ticket."

"I gave_ you_ the ticket." He calmly tore the check in half and then in half again. "I'm not taking any money from you," he said, putting the pieces on the coffee table. There was a note of finality in his voice, but she couldn't let it rest.

"Ranger, you've done so much for me. Let me give this to you. It's ours. You said take a chance on us."

"I did say take a chance on us and I meant it," he told her. "I also said there's no price. Ever. This money is yours."

"I know you've said there's no price, but that was before."

Ranger raised both eyebrows, which wrinkled his forehead and gave Stephanie an immediate urge to use her fingertips to smooth it out. "Before what?" he asked.

"Well," her voice quavered only slightly. "Before you were seeing someone else."

Understanding lowered his brows. "I'm not involved with Connie," he said.

"Connie! I know that," she told him. She blushed remembering the overheard conversation and met Ranger's gaze to see the tell-tale lift at the corner of his mouth. "I meant now that you're seeing your lawyer, the one Lester says you'll have to get creative with, you know, because of your leg injury."

The lift of his lips, the potential smile, disappeared. "Lester said that, huh?" He looked away briefly, but then caught Steph's gaze and held it. "I'm not seeing my lawyer in any way other than professionally. There is no other woman in my life. There have been, but there is no one now."

Stephanie felt a sudden surge of hopefulness. She leaned in and let a finger trail down the front of his shirt, casually, almost accidentally flicking her nail over the flat nub of a nipple, thrilling a little when she felt it pebble under her touch. She glanced quickly at Ranger and saw his eyes darken, taking her in. She looked away just as quickly, afraid of losing her nerve. It was now or never. She leaned in again and nipped softly at the sensitive chords that pulsed at the base on his neck. "Are you sure Tank will call you tonight?" she murmured, her lips so close to his ear he could feel her warm breath on him.

"No."

"Because, well, you could stay here." She reached a hand behind his neck and pulled his mouth down to hers. He let her lips move over his and he reciprocated, and she was aware that he was _letting_ her. She wanted, needed, to arouse him to the point where he took over, but how? All her life she'd been the pursued. Being the hunter didn't come naturally to her. She leaned in to kiss him again, but he held her still.

"We need to talk," he said, his voice low and soft.

_We need to talk?_ No good ever came from that phrase. No, talking wasn't in the plan. Kissing, that was in the plan. Steph stood suddenly, and walked to the wall. She flipped a light switch and frowned when the room became brighter.

"Sorry," she said, with a quick smile. "I'm not totally familiar with everything yet." She flipped another switch and the light dimmed. The sofa faced the wall of windows and with the ambient light in the room low, the view took precedence. Slowly, she walked back across the room and stood between Ranger and the wall of windows.

She should have gone to the bookstore. Surely, there was a Seduction for Dummies book, and it would have been a good purchase. She needed to show him what she was feeling. She moved her hand to the strip of bare midriff between her shirt and pants. She let her fingers run across her bare skin and pretended it was Ranger's hand. She imagined his hand going higher, his lips touching her... lower. She shivered. Her eyes met his and she thrilled to see his lids were heavy, half-covering his dark eyes. She recognized desire, but Ranger was unmoving. She took another step toward him, trying to put some sway into her hips.

"What are you doing, Stephanie?" His voice was low, husky and velvet. She felt her nipples pucker into erectness.

_He didn't know what she was doing?_ Like hell, he didn't.

She tilted her head and tried to raise one eyebrow, but failed. "Ranger." She said it with the same laconic inflection she'd heard him use many times when he'd uttered, "Babe."

He got the message and almost grinned back at her. "I know what you're _doing_, Babe. What I want to know is _why_."

"Why?" she questioned, a little incredulous. _Stay positive, stay focused_, she told herself. She remembered the day at Point Pleasant. She remembered the times recently when Lester had told her how attractive she was. The good memories gave her the confidence she needed. "I'm trying to show you that I want you," she said, lowering her voice to a throaty purr. "That I can be the kind of woman you want." Self doubt started to creep in a little. "I'm hoping that you want me, too," she ended.

"You want me to make love to you?" Ranger questioned.

"Yes."

"You want me to pleasure you with my body?"

"I, uh... yes!"

"I'm sorry, Babe. I can't do that. I can't let you objectify me. I don't want to be wanted just for my body and for what my body can do to you."

At first, she thought he was kidding, but Ranger didn't kid. He was serious. Time stopped for a split second and then reality kicked in. Stephanie was appalled. He'd turned her down. He didn't want her. Her heart fluttered and then stopped beating for a fraction of a second, and her stomach felt like it was full of cement. Once again, she'd screwed things up royally. There was no way out of this one. She quickly turned, with her back to him. She didn't want him to see her cry, and she was certain that was going to happen.

Ranger started speaking again. "Stephanie." She didn't turn around. He continued. "The only way this is going to happen is if it's the whole deal." His voice lowered a bit. "I've said some things to you in the past that might have led you to believe it was all about the sex, but... we have a chance for a new beginning, if you want it. I've had sex with other women, but you're the only one I've ever truly made love with." He paused, but Stephanie still didn't turn around. "I want it all, not just sex. We have a good thing going, Babe, and I'm not going to let what we have be denigrated by lust."

Stephanie stood completely still while she let his words sink in. Slowly, she turned around. "You said you weren't involved with your new lawyer, but..."

"I'm not," Ranger affirmed. "She might have wanted more, but I don't. There's only one woman I want."

And then the tears came, but they were happy tears. She knew. She knew without a shadow of a doubt. She took another step and she was standing directly in front of him. Even in the low light, she could see his face. It was a strong face, one she loved looking at, when he wasn't looking at her. That was about to change. Reaching out a hand, she let her fingers trail along the underside of his jaw. She tilted his face up and met his gaze squarely, no flinching, no embarrassment, no darting her eyes away. He was right, it was time to talk.

"This is your lucky day, Ranger. I do want you in my bed. And there is a large component of lust. I won't lie about that. But there's more. I finally figured out why I call you when things go haywire, and why I call you when things are going good. And I know why you give me your cars, and let your guys help me. I know why you stepped back when I was with Joe. You were waiting for me to figure it out. It took me a long time." She nodded, as if to herself. "A _long_ time. But I did. I figured it out. We're in love with each other." The barest of a grin turned her mouth up. "And I'm ready to take a chance...on _us_."

Ranger was on his feet and his arms were around her before she could take in a breath. As his mouth came down on hers she smiled inwardly. She wasn't so bad at this seduction thing after all.

Ranger pulled back, ending the kiss abruptly. His groan was low, but worrisome to her. "What is it?" she asked.

"My legs," he said. "I've been cosseting them and jumping from the sofa and grabbing you was not a wise move. Pleasurable, but not wise." He gave her a small grin, but she could see the tenseness in his face.

Her arms went around him. "Let me help you," she said.

"No. I'll make it on my own. We are going to take a walk, Babe. Out of this room and into your bedroom. This is one time when I won't lead you and you won't lead me. We're going to walk side by side into this one."

They made their way slowly, holding hands, into her bedroom with her new undanced on mattress. And they made love. There was a lot of lust involved, but love reigned supreme. In fact, it reigned several times that night. If Ranger was on the disabled list, he certainly had creative ways around it. And while Stephanie was more comfortable letting Ranger lead, she wasn't entirely submissive either. The mattress supported many, many dances that night and for all the nights after it.

_Stephanie's new Take A Chance motto:_

_Take the chance to fall,_

_but hope for the chance to fly._


End file.
